Gender-based violence: tens of thousands of demonstrators against the "impunity" of the attackers

Europe 1 with AFP 6:18 p.m., November 19, 2022

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday throughout France to denounce the dysfunctions of justice in the fight against gender-based and sexual violence and in particular to demand a "framework law" against the "impunity" of the aggressors.

Five years after the emergence of the #MeToo movement, nearly 90 associations, unions or left-wing parties have called for a "tidal wave in the street to shout our anger".

80,000 people in the procession in Paris, according to the organizers

In Paris, the demonstration left around 2:30 p.m. from Place de la République and whose last participants arrived at Place de la Nation around 5:30 p.m., gathered 80,000 people according to the organizers and only 18,500 according to the police.

"We are strong, we are proud and feminist and radical and angry", chanted protesters, while others shouted "MeToo everywhere, justice nowhere".

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On placards, uniformly purple, the emblematic color of the gathering, one could read in particular "dominant male, who do you think you are?", "stop the culture of rape" or even "believing the victims saves lives".

"What makes us angry is the impunity of the aggressors and the mistreatment reserved for the victims" when they file a complaint, explained to AFP Maëlle Noir, member of #NousToutes who coordinates the organization of the parades. .

"Pay homage to the victims"

"We are demonstrating today to pay tribute to the victims", insisted for her part Sandrine Bouchait, of the National Union of Families of Femicides (UNFF), whose association asks for relatives "a status of victims with support. psychological and financial.

More generally, the associations are calling for a public budget of two billion euros per year, but also a "framework law" which would notably establish "brigades and specialized courts", financial aid for the "security" of women victims. , 15,000 additional accommodation places or the strengthening of education in sexual and emotional life at school.

A parliamentary mission is working on specialized police and justice

The minister responsible for gender equality Isabelle Rome recalled on RMC that she was open to the establishment of a specialized police and justice, a subject on which a parliamentary mission is working.

As for the financial means, "they have not stopped increasing" to reach "a total amount of 2.4 billion" euros, she observed, acknowledging that these sums were "not specifically" dedicated in the fight against violence.

The call to demonstrate - ahead of November 25, the world day for the fight against violence against women - concerned many cities in France.

In Rennes, the demonstration, to cries of "no rapists in our neighborhoods, no neighborhood for rapists", brought together 2,200 people, according to the prefecture, which revised upwards its initial assessment of 700 people.

In Metz (280 people according to the police), demonstrators held up signs like "in 12 feminicides, it's Christmas" or "Will you believe me when I'm dead?".

The prefecture of Lille has identified 1,750 participants, that of Marseille 500.

"The victims are not alone, we believe them"

For Illyle Ezemzami, a 22-year-old student present in the Toulouse procession, "we must show the victims that they are not alone and that we believe them".

For her, "there has been a liberation of speech but it is not won, we must go further, the shame must be reversed".

Frédéric Planquart, 46, who participated in his first feminist mobilization in Marseille, believes that "it's not just the business of women, it's even perhaps more that of men", even if, according to him, "it is more important to act in everyday life than to demonstrate".

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The exasperation of feminist organizations is fueled by the high number of feminicides - already 100 since the beginning of the year according to an associative collective, against 122 last year according to official figures -, and by the reluctance of the political world. to remove certain officials accused of violence against women.

EELV and LFI have signed the call to demonstrate

The EELV and LFI parties "signed our call to demonstrate. We are going to ask them today to respect their signature" and to "remove from their parliamentary group men implicated for violence", declared Pauline Baron, of #NousToutes , citing the cases of Adrien Quatennens (LFI) and Julien Bayou (EELV).

Between 2017 and 2021, the number of rapes or attempted rapes recorded by the Ministry of the Interior doubled, from 16,900 to 34,300.

Victims are more likely to denounce old facts, explains the ministry, which also sees it as a sign of "freedom of speech".

An expression that now exasperates associations, because "women have always spoken but they are not listened to", points out Maëlle Noir.