After the announcement of the convictions of the 51 accused in the Mazan rape trial, several elected officials from France and elsewhere showed their support for Gisèle Pelicot.
Publicized for several months and relayed on channels and newspapers around the world, the Mazan rape trial was closely followed by the political world. Many personalities salute the courage of Gisèle Pelicot who attended all the debates. Some hope that lessons will be learned from this extraordinary trial. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to twenty years of criminal imprisonment, this is the maximum sentence. His fifty co-defendants were all found guilty of rape or attempted rape, with a minimum of three years in prison and a maximum of fifteen years.
The President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun Pivet thanked Gisèle Pelicot for «son courage». “Through you, it is the voice of so many victims that carries today, the shame that changes sides, the taboo that is brokenshe writes in a publication on X. LThe world is no longer the same thanks to you.”
The deputy Horizons of the 1st constituency of the Marne, Xavier Albertini, evokes “the end of a trial which must change society. They are now condemned, it is up to them to be ashamed”.
On the right, Valérie Pécresse, the LR president of the Île-de-France region, is one of the first to make a publication on social networks. “Infinite respect for Gisèle Pélicot who stood tall, worthy and admirably courageous in the face of her tormentors, in particular the predator whose life she shared for decades”she commented. The deputy for Lot, Aurélien Pradié, talks about Gisèle Pelicot, “a force that engages us all”.
The Socialist Party issued a statement two hours after the verdict was announced: “Gisèle Pélicot, you refused to go behind closed doors. You stood up to the unspeakable, not only for yourself, but for all women too often condemned to remain silent.” The leader of environmentalists, Marine Tondelier, welcomed the“a historic trial (which) broke taboos in society”. “Rape culture is finally denounced, condemned”added the boss of the communists, Fabien Roussel.
The socialist senator, Laurence Rossignol, regretted “the gap between the requisitions and several sentences handed down”adding that “the responsibility of consumers of porn, paid sex or a sedated wife is always reduced”.
France Insoumise thanks Gisèle Pélicot
On the side of La France Insoumise, MP Clémence Guetté congratulated on “the feminist and united momentum that has arisen throughout France”. His colleague, Manon Aubry, talks about “the strength and courage of Gisèle Pelicot”. She believes that “the #Mazan trial will forever embody the fight against rape culture”. For Manuel Bompard, this trial “must be a turning point in the fight against rape culture which is corrupting society as a whole”. He expresses “her admiration for Gisèle Pelicot, her courage, her strength and her determination”. Mathilde Panot, the president of the LFI group in the Assembly, believes that “Gisèle Pélicot embodies for History the end of shame for victims, the end of impunity for rapists. Thanks to her, and infinite support to all those who demand justice.”
For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “Gisèle Pelicot’s fight is that of the new France, feminist, to conquer its dignity and its common rights.” He adds: “We must all enter this new age of human civilization and transform ourselves for it.”
For Olaf Scholz, “shame is always on the side of the aggressor”
Outside France, it was the former leader of the British Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn who reacted first: “Gisèle Pélicot will forever be the face of dignity and resilience. Her courage is truly remarkable and she has empowered millions of women around the world. Today, we stand with all survivors of sexual violence and against the systems that intimidate and silence them.”
Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, also spoke on the social network X: “The shame must change sides. Thank you, Gisèle Pelicot! With courage, you emerged from anonymity to fight for justice. You have given a strong voice to women around the world. The shame is always on the side of the aggressor.”
For the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, it is necessary “let shame change sides”. “What dignity. Thank you, Gisèle Pélicot.”
Youtuber Tibo Inshape hopes that the trial “will free speech”
The most followed YouTuber in France, Tibo Inshape, reacted in turn after the verdict given by the Avignon court. “All my support for Gisèle Pélicot and all the victims we don’t talk about enough,” he wrote on X, hoping that this historic trial “will free the voices of women who suffer the worst horrors”.
