Sexual violence in politics: feminist rally in Paris against the “government of shame”

May 25, 2022

The Observatory of sexist and sexual violence in politics organized a rally of a few hundred people in Paris on Tuesday to denounce “a government of shame”, castigating Minister Damien Abad, accused of rape and sexual violence by two women, this which he disputes.

Several left-wing activists were present, including the ecologist Sandrine Rousseau. “Women are no longer in a situation where they are silent. The era of impunity is over for sexual violence,” she said in front of some 300 people in Place Saint Augustin, in the 8th arrondissement.

In the audience, signs and songs to call for the resignation of Damien Abad or the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, targeted by a complaint for rape, dismissed at first, then relaunched and for which the prosecution requested a dismissal in early 2022.

“At a time when the government has just remade the fight against violence against women its great cause for the five-year term and when Olivia Grégoire, government spokesperson, encourages freedom of speech, it is inconceivable to keep the government a man accused of rape”, estimated to AFP Mathilde Viot, former LFI parliamentary collaborator and co-founder of the Observatory, an association created in the wake of the MeToo movement.

“We are not asking Elisabeth Borne to do a job as a judge, we are asking him to decide if Damien Abad is able to assume his duties. As it stands, we believe that he cannot fulfill his mission as minister. Solidarity”, she added.

The Observatory of sexist and sexual violence in politics, which transmitted the testimonies of Mr. Abad’s accusers to executives of LREM and LR, wants to be “the relay of the question of sexual violence in politics”.

The association pleads for the exclusion from politics of men accused of sexual and gender-based violence and also calls for the creation of a State structure that takes charge of this monitoring work.

The new Minister of Solidarity Damien Abad said Monday he was “innocent” of the rape charges brought against him by two women and indicated that he would not consider resigning. Two complaints have already been dismissed but the courts are analyzing a new report

According to a minister, “the executive is in a complicated position”, between respecting “the word of women” and the “principle of the presumption of innocence”.

According to this member of the government, “if there is anything more salient and concrete” in the coming days about Damien Abad, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne “will make a decision”.