‘You are our champion’: solidarity springs up for Gisèle Pelicot around the world
From Australia to Belgium, the French woman at the centre of a mass rape trial has galvanised conversations about sexual violenceShe has been hailed as a feminist hero across France, commended for her courage at rallies across the country and applauded by supporters each time she enters or leaves the courtroom in the southern city of Avignon.But the tributes to Gisèle Pelicot – the woman at the centre of a horrifying mass rape trial that has shaken France to its core – also come from far beyond the country’s borders.Since the trial began in September, solidarity has been expressed around the world, hinting at the role she has played in galvanising a global conversation around sexual violence.From Australia to Austria, many have closely tracked the news emerging from the courtroom in Provence, where Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique, is accused of drugging her for nearly a decade and recruiting men to rape her while she was unconscious.Fifty other men are also on trial for alleged rape.
Dedicating her battle to all those who have survived sexual violence, Pelicot opted to allow the trial to be public and pushed for the court to exhibit the videos, recorded by her then husband, that show men engaging in intercourse with her while she was unconscious,In Australia, 10,000 miles away, Pelicot’s bravery resonated deeply with the Older Women’s Network,For years, the organisation had been working to shine a spotlight on the sexual assault of older women; now they watched in awe as Pelicot assured survivors that they were not alone in this struggle,“If we could be there, we would hold up placards with ‘We believe you, Gisèle’ and ‘You are our champion’ – that’s what we would write,” said Yumi Lee of the OWN,Instead, she and the other members of the network did the next best thing they could come up with: they collected donations among themselves to send a silk scarf crafted by First Nations women to Pelicot.
“We hope that when she wears it, she knows that she has the backing and solidarity of women who are thousands of kilometres from the courtroom,” said Lee.Similar expressions of global solidarity have arrived in Avignon, from the bouquets of flowers that have been sent to the courtroom to the dozens of letters that have poured into the local post office.Bearing postmarks from around the world, the messages, the broadcaster RMC reported, range from an Austrian man who told her that the time had come to end male domination, to an American woman who thanked her for going public with her story, adding: “You’re my hero”.In mid-September, in an echo of the rallies held across France, hundreds of people turned up in Brussels and Liège in Belgium to show their support.Several held up placards bearing a stylised portrait of Gisèle Pelicot drawn by a Belgian artist known as Aline Dessine, who, in an act of solidarity, had renounced all rights to the image.
“As long as it is used to support Gisèle Pelicot you can do whatever you want with it,” she told her 2,5 million followers on TikTok,The rally in Brussels was organised by Balance ton bar, a nonprofit that has long battled against the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse,“It’s really beautiful to see the solidarity that has been built around Gisèle Pelicot,” said Maïté Meeûs, the organisation’s founder,She commended Pelicot for her bravery in allowing the world a glimpse of the odyssey that many women face as they attempt to seek justice after sexual violence.
“She’s showing the world what a rape case trial can look like and how a victim really can almost never win,” she said, highlighting how, after facing a barrage of questions over her clothing and habits, Gisèle Pelicot had felt the need to remind the court that she was not the one on trial,“And she’s also showing how we really, really need to rethink the system,”Sign up to This is EuropeThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environmentafter newsletter promotionThe sentiment was echoed in Greece, where 30 grassroots organisations recently penned a letter to Pelicot,“We wanted to show that we are indebted to her for her resilience and extend our heartfelt, feminist solidarity to her,” said Anna Vouyioukas of Diotima, a Greek centre for gender rights and equality,“We understand how difficult it is to endure a trial in a judicial system that is often hostile towards survivors of gender-based violence.
”At Ca la Dona, a feminist centre that has operated in Barcelona since the 1980s, the torrent of headlines emerging from the trial sent members springing into action.“We wanted to write a letter to her,” said Natalia Camara of the organisation.“So that she knows that in Barcelona, in Catalonia, feminists are standing in solidarity with her.”Published earlier this month, the letter thanks Pelicot for ‘breaking the silence’.Camara spoke of the group’s horror that the allegations against Pelicot’s husband came to light only after he was caught filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket, and not because any of the dozens of men he allegedly recruited to come to his house ever went to the police.
It had taken Gisèle Pelicot to shatter the silence, Camara said.“For male violence to exist, everyone who knows about it has to be silent.And what Gisèle has done is shine a light on the whole structure that sustains male violence.It’s an incredible exercise of solidarity and generosity, particularly given all that she’s lived through.”Camara had no doubt that the impact of the trial – and the wider conversation it had launched around consent, sexual violence and the justice system – would ripple far beyond France.
“She’s putting consent at the centre of everything and showing her face so that the violence and the shame changes sides,” said Camara, referencing the mantra that has electrified much of the response to the trial ever since it was used by a lawyer to describe Pelicot’s reason for going public: “Shame must change sides.”Now the world was watching as Pelicot single-handedly recast concepts such as shame, sexual violence and consent, said Lee in Australia.“What she has done is help us to take a big step to change the status quo.”Pelicot’s bravery had also helped to pry open a space for women around the world to address these issues, Lee added.“She’s a champion, an absolute champion,” she said.
“We hope that once the trial is over, she will be able to feel the sun on her skin and know that she is treasured by many, many women around the world,”
Rugby’s 20-minute red card to be trialled in upcoming Autumn Nations Series
The 20-minute red card will be employed during next month’s autumn internationals – the first time they will be used in the northern hemisphere – despite opposition to its permanent introduction from Ireland and France.Six Nations Rugby – which oversees the 21 fixtures during the Autumn Nations Series – has announced that the law will be trialled throughout November, including England’s four matches against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.The 20-minute red card, which allows a team to replace a player who has been shown a red card after 20 minutes in the sin-bin, has been trialled in the Rugby Championship. It is understood there will be a consultation period before a final submission to World Rugby’s council next month to determine if a global trial is introduced.As was the case during the Rugby Championship, referees can still show permanent red cards for deliberate and dangerous foul play which is significant because some trials have taken place where all sendings off were met with a 20-minute red card
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Britain on brink of defeat in America’s Cup after losing two more races to NZ
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Ben Stokes has admitted he behaved like “a grumpy old man” as England slid to defeat in the second Test in Multan, bowled out for just 144 on a disintegrating surface to lose by 152 runs in a game where his side were “up against it from the toss”.The captain’s tantrum came on Thursday, when as Pakistan’s second innings neared its conclusion two straightforward opportunities to dismiss Salman Agha were put down. The batter went on to score more than 50 runs after his let-offs to take the game out of England’s reach.“In these subcontinent conditions, catches don’t come along that often,” Stokes said. “I actually apologised to the group last night because it’s the first time in my captaincy that I’ve let my emotions about the game and how it was unfolding show with my body language
First he urged women to put family first. Now Harrison Butker’s the latest angry rich guy with a Pac | Arwa Mahdawi
In a segment last week, Laura Ingraham could barely contain her glee when she announced that Harrison Butker had decided to venture into politics: a “move sure to drive the liberals crazy”.Butker, for those who aren’t aware, is a kicker with the Kansas City Chiefs – who are famous in non-sporty circles for being the team that Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, plays for. As well as being the highest-paid kicker in the NFL and the owner of a very impressive beard, Butker is what a polite person might call “traditional” and a more direct person might call “Taliban-adjacent”. He essentially thinks women should stay at home making sandwiches for their husbands and looking after their kids. In May, the athlete caused a stir when gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic private liberal arts school, espousing these views
Pakistan beat England by 152 runs to level series: second Test, day four – as it happened
Simon Burnton’s piece has landed so that’s my cue to get outta here.Congrats to Pakistan and their spin-twins who “humbled” England’s batters. A thoroughly entertaining Test comes to a swift end which means it’s all to play for when they meet for the decider in Rawalpindi next Thursday.We’ll be back to bring you all the action and hope you’ll join us then.Thanks to everyone who contributed across the Test
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