GIsèle Pelicot, the main victim of the Mazan rape trial, was warmly applauded and congratulated as she left the courtroom during the midday break by several spectators in the lobby of the Avignon judicial court.
“Gisèle, Gisèle!”, “Bravo madame” and “So that shame changes sides!” chanted several spectators during the break after having followed the proceedings from a broadcast room attached to the court where this emblematic trial of sexual violence and chemical submission has been taking place since September 2.
Mrs. Pelicot, wearing round glasses, smiled and thanked them but did not wish to make any statements to the numerous press.
Previously, she had listened for nearly four hours to her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, speaking for the first time from his dock on the substance of the case without ever reacting or showing any emotion or animosity.
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Before the hearing resumed at 2:15 p.m., spectators also booed several defendants who returned to the courtroom, all hiding their faces behind anti-Covid masks or sweater hoods and lowering their heads, AFP journalists noted.
Dominique Pelicot and 50 men aged 26 to 74 are appearing in this lengthy trial to answer charges of rape.
By agreeing to make the trial of her ex-husband and the men he recruited online public, Gisèle Pelicot, 71, has sparked a powerful wave of support for victims of rape and sexual assault. Last weekend, 10,000 people took to the streets of France to express their support for her and denounce “rape culture.”
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