President Roger Arata wanted to give him the floor again one last time. So that Gisèle Pelicot can once again deliver her truth and her vision of this sprawling affair but especially of the three months of trial which have just passed. “I have just heard the last co-defendant. I admit that since the beginning, I have heard a lot of inaudible, unacceptable things, but that's how it is. I became aware of it, I knew when I gave up this huis closed what I was going to expose myself to.”
The 72-year-old woman admitted that she was feeling tired, having insisted on being there most of the time. “I have seen individuals pass by who deny, some who acknowledge the rape. I want to tell these people, at what moment when you enter this room, Ms. Pelicot gave you consent? At what moment when you see this inert body, isn’t there something wrong with what’s happening and I’m going to report it to the police?”
Very calm at the start, Gisèle Pelicot then raised her voice a little, returning to certain areas of defense of the accused, one having been able to express that he had been “remotely guided”, some that they could have been drugged, or one the latter who said that even if he had denounced, he would not have been believed.
“For me, it's the trial of cowardice, the trial of Gisèle Pelicot is the trial of cowardice. I saw four people from the gendarmerie parade to say that their friend was a respectful person. At what point he prohibited himself from acts. If that's what respect is, we can review the definitions of rape and respect.”
Before interrupting her speech for barely 10 minutes, Gisèle Pelicot concluded with one last position. “It is high time that society opens its eyes to this macho, patriarchal society where rape is trivialized. It is time that we change the way we look at rape.”
