“By your verdict, you will mean that ordinary rape does not exist”
At the end of these requisitions, which were spread over two and a half days, General Counsel Laure Chabaud made a point of saying a few concluding words: “We decided to conclude by looking to the future. Whatever his role in this trial, there will be a before and an after. What we can hope is that the debates, the questions raised and your decisions will result in a real and profound awareness of the accused on the facts and more particularly on the notion of consent. For some, the process has begun but for others, we are still far from the goal. This room sometimes gave off a disturbing impression of communion, bordering on an inappropriate relaxation for some. Rising as one man, not recognizing the intention, like a magic formula to mitigate their responsibility. Gentlemen, magic formulas do not work in this judicial forum. I would ask you to consider that this number of accused is not a reflection of their innocence but of the scale of the fight to be waged. Can we hope for collective, societal awareness? Will all these hopes come true? Profound changes in thinking cannot happen in a few days. This trial is a building block that others, after us, will continue to build. We can also hope that it will also bring a form of reassurance for the victims, a step on the long and winding path of their reconstruction. By your verdict, you will mean that ordinary rape does not exist. That accidental or involuntary rape does not exist. Through your verdict, you will deliver a message of hope to all the victims and restore a part of the humanity stolen from Gisèle Pelicot. You will show the women of this country that there is no fatality to be suffered and the men of fatality to act. You will guide us in the education of our sons. Because beyond the sanction, it is education that will drive change.“
