French women march to show their support for Gisele Pelicot, the woman who is the focal point of a trial for mass rape

Hundreds of hundreds, primarily women, assembled in towns around France on Saturday to show their support for Gisele Pelicot, whose husband is now being tried for drugging her and enlisting numerous strangers to sexually assault her in a case that has deeply unsettled the country.

Feminist organizations have organized around 30 assemblies in places ranging from Marseille to Paris, where banners across the Place de la Republique display the messages “Support to Gisele” and “Victims we believe you”.

With her remarkable narrative reverberating throughout France since the commencement of the trial earlier this month, Pelicot, who is currently 72 years old, has become as an emblem of France’s battle against sexual assault.

According to her attorneys, she made the deliberate choice to decline a private trial and instead insist on a public trial, scheduled to continue until December, in order to raise awareness among the public about instances of sexual abuse and drug-induced vision impairments.

“We express our profound gratitude to her for her immense bravery,” said Fatima Benomar, a feminist campaigner affiliated with the “Coudes a Coudes” organisation, during an interview with BFM TV. Benomar further stressed that the purpose of the rallies was to demonstrate solidarity with all victims of rape.

Dominique Pelicot, aged seventy-one, stands accused of recurrently administering drugs to his wife and permitted unidentified individuals to sexually assault her at their residence over a period of ten years.

He was scheduled to provide testimony this week but was excused prematurely owing to his poor health. Pending his ability, he is anticipated to provide testimony on Monday.

Amidst a gathering of some 200 demonstrators in front of the Palais de Justice in Marseille, Lou Salome Patouillard, a 41-year-old artist, expressed her support for Gisele and all women, highlighting the overwhelming number of Giseles in the city.

Prosecutors said that Pelicot solicited sexual conduct from his wife on an online platform and recorded the mistreatment. An additional fifty males who are accused of participating in the abuse are now undergoing trial.

Beatrice Zavarro, Pelicot’s attorney, has informed French media that Pelicot acknowledges his perpetration of crimes. According to French media, several of the other accused have confessed their guilt, while others claim that they believed Gisele Pelicot had feigned sleep and was a fully willing participant.

Upon conviction, each of them would be subject to a maximum of 20 years in prison.