Marie (on the left) and Sophie, two committed citizens of Strasbourg.

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T. Gagnepain / 20 Minutes

  • Strasbourg has recently been the scene of several cases of street harassment.

    Two young girls were beaten up in late August as a student assaulted and beaten for wearing a skirt

  • Two Strasbourg citizens, Sophie and Marie, got fed up and decided to organize a citizens' march to denounce street harassment.

  • They are not part of any association.

    “The idea is to unite, not to oppose.

    We are not part of any feminist association and we do not want to fall into a radical discourse.

    Evil is not man, it is human stupidity.

    "

The appointment has been made and already authorized by the prefecture: it will be Saturday, October 24, starting from Place Kléber.

From 3 p.m. that day, two citizens of Strasbourg, Marie and Sophie, hope to see as many people as possible parade.

Their goal ?

Denounce street harassment, which has come back to the fore in recent weeks in the Alsatian capital.

First at the end of August when two young girls were beaten up for refusing the advances of their attacker;

then in mid-September when a student was hit on the pretext that she was wearing a skirt ...

"There is a media upsurge but it's been centuries that it exists", says Sophie, who evokes a fed up to justify the initiative taken with her friend.

“If we called this march" together in a skirt ", it is because the excuses of the attackers are often linked to the clothes their victims wear.

But a girl can put on a skirt or a neckline whenever she wants!

"

On October 24, wearing a skirt will not be compulsory.

"There is no dress code but men have already asked us if they could come dressed like that and they will do", laughs Marie who calls for a gathering as large as possible.

“We already have nearly 1,000 interested people on our Facebook page.

The idea is to unite, not to oppose.

We are not part of any feminist association and we do not want to fall into a radical discourse.

Evil is not man, it is human stupidity.

"

A call for contributions

Supported by several Strasbourg associations, including "Ru'Elles", the two organizers also want this march to lead to proposals.

It is in this sense that they have launched a call for contributions on the city's participatory platform (Participant.strasbourg.eu).

“We want this march to be just the tip of the iceberg.

The ideas collected will be handed over to the public authorities on November 25 ”;

explains Sophie, who would already like more prevention to be carried out among students.

“Today, 8 out of 10 women in France have already been victims of sexual harassment in public places and among them, only 2 have received help.

It's amazing that we're still there today, ”they conclude in unison.

Before making another little appeal: "If anyone wants to help us make signs ..."

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Society

42% of women aged 18 to 30 victims of sexist assault on the pretext of their dress during the last twelve months

  • Society

  • Sexual harassment

  • Strasbourg

  • Violence against women