Tributes throughout France to the courage of Gisèle Pelicot, “an icon in spite of herself”

“Thank you Gisele”. “So that shame changes sides”. “Courage Gisele”. This Saturday, September 14, around thirty gatherings were held throughout France to support Gisèle Pelicot, victim of her husband Dominique Pelicot: for nearly 10 years, the septuagenarian offered his wife to strangers recruited on the Internet. In total, 50 of them were identified. But 30 are still at large.

According to information from the police headquarters transmitted to Figaro3,500 people gathered this afternoon in Paris, in the 11th arrondissement, Place de la République, to proclaim their admiration for the courage of Gisèle Pelicot, who refused to allow the trial of her 51 attackers to be held behind closed doors. In Marseille, according to France Bleue Provence, there were nearly 500. In Nantes, according to West France there were around 500 of them gathered at Place Bouffay, and 600 in Rennes.

“I am not what you would call a left-wing feminist, and I do not want this affair to be taken over by politicians. But I still came today to show my support for Gisèle Pelicot, who I find admirable. She is a figure around whom the entire population wants to mobilize.”says the Figaro Julie, 42 years old, employed in an audit firm.

Aurore decided to come to this demonstration when she learned that one of the defense lawyers had declared, in front of the cameras, that there was “rape and rape”. “I am not a regular at these feminist gatherings, but when I heard this sentence, I was outraged. That is why, today, I am here.”explains the forty-year-old. “Gisèle Pelicot is an example of incredible courage and selflessness. It is to honor this that I am here today.”agrees a friend of Aurore.

“This is a historic trial that shows that rapists are far from being monsters: they are ordinary men.”says Raphaëlle, who works in a European institution in Brussels. “When lawyers play on the notion of “intention” by declaring that there is rape and rape, we can only see that there is a real legal uncertainty in France on the notion of consent.”continues the young thirty-something.

Other protesters, like Raphaëlle, hope to be able “to shake up the lines of French legislation” through the Pelicot affair. “The difference between the Gisèle Pelicot case and other rape cases is that, in this specific case, it is impossible to deny the evidence, since there are videos. Gisèle Pelicot has concrete proof of her rapes. Perhaps, if the husband had not recorded these images, we would never have discovered what no one, moreover, could have believed.”says Manon, 24, a part-time worker in the entertainment industry.

While many young men and women are present today, a few people in their sixties and seventies also came to support Gisèle Pelicot. “I find what she did all the more admirable because, in my generation, these things were taboo, we didn’t talk about them at all.”breathes Josée, 72, a former Air France employee. “In my time, if something like this had come to light, people would have said ‘no, that’s not possible'”says the pensioner.

“For me, Gisèle embodies courage. Her figure is unifying. In a way, she has become an icon in spite of herself. Perhaps it is even the nature of an icon not to choose to become one.”philosopher Théophile, 25 years old, student registered for the administration competitions. “The very fact that her name is chanted and that we see on the signs the ease with which, with a few strokes, we recognize her, says a lot about what she represents.”continues the young man. His friend Lucie is, for her part, “stirred” by this trial. “We feel like we’re at the beginning of something”she whispers.

But some feminist activists, who are used to these gatherings, also deploy a more ideological discourse, which we see flourishing elsewhere in other gatherings. For them, more generally, this trial is an opportunity for their companions to “realize that they [ont] were educated in patriarchy”. “This is a difficult thing for my husband to hear, but now he is questioning himself and his friends. He is questioning himself, becoming aware of certain things.”says a fifty-something protester, strangely satisfied. Far from these very political lessons, what remains above all is the face of Gisèle Pelicot, with her round glasses and her bob, which in a few days has become that of courage.