Why Gisèle Pelicot's supporters sang a feminist anthem outside the courthouse
Feminist Muriel Trichet says 20-year sentence not nearly enough for Dominique Pelicot's crimes
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Gisèle Pelicot's supporters have stood in solidarity outside the courthouse in Avignon, France, every day of her ex-husband's high-profile rape trial.
And on Thursday, after the court sentenced Dominique Pelicot, 72, to a maximum 20 years in prison, they joined together in song.
Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of all charges against him, including aggravated rape, for repeatedly drugging and raping his then-wife for nearly a decade, while inviting dozens of other men to come to their home and rape her while she was unconcious.
Fifty other men, who came from all walks of life, were also convicted on charges of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault, with sentences ranging from three to 15 years. Of those, 49 participated in Gisèle Pelicot's abuse, while one was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife with Dominique Pelicot's help.
Gisèle Pelicot, 72, has been championed as a feminist icon in France since she waived her right to anonymity in order to highlight not only her own story, but those of other sexual violence survivors.
Muriel Trichet, a member of feminist Collective Nous Toutes 84, says it was important for women in France to show up for Gisèle Pelicot, just as she has shown up for them.
Trichet was outside the court on Thursday, as she has been throughout the trial. She and her fellow activists formed a choir and sang Feminist Fight Back, an adaptation of the 1970s French feminist anthem, Hymne des Femmes. Here is part of her conversation with As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
Muriel, what did those moments singing in that choir mean to you?
It's a very strange sensation, in fact, when we sing because it is a feminist song. It brings us power. We feel very safe when we are together.
We don't have [many places] in our lives that we could be really safe.
Safety is very important, to feel something light and like we don't have to care or worry about anything — just singing and being together.
What did today feel like for you being there?
I was very anxious, so I was very stressed. I didn't sleep very well last night and I didn't eat anything.
It's difficult to say why, but I was afraid of the sentence or the verdict. I don't know, I was not sure about what I would find in front of the court in the morning.
There was a lot of people, so I was just looking for all my friends and not to be alone and to calm down my anxiety… When I met all my colleagues … I felt much better.
Does this verdict satisfy you? Was justice served today?
It was very disappointing…. I do not know what I was expecting, but … deep inside me, I was expecting something more.
Twenty years, for me, it's not enough to ask for what it did to Gisèle.
The other 50 men were also found guilty, but many received shorter sentences than the prosecutors were asking for. Some left the courthouse free because of time served. How did that sit with you?
It feels unfair. So unfair. Once again, it feels like rap[ing] women doesn't mean anything.
You mentioned feeling safe in that choir today. Do these verdicts and the attention this case has received make you feel safer?
No, not at all.
To live a trial like this one, it's worse than everything. It's a double sentence after the rape…. It's unbearable, in fact.
Maybe women will think about it twice before [making a] complaint [to] the police.
You don't think it will encourage them to come forward?
I'm not sure, really ... because we all see what Gisèle Pelicot endured during this trial. It was very painful.
It's another way to make her a victim again. And it's very hard to hear, and it's very hard to live.
Do you think that, even a little bit, there has been a cultural shift in understanding about rape, sexual assault and what survivors deal with?
We hope. Because this trial and the determination of Gisèle has opened a reflection about domination, about rape culture. And maybe more people talk about it.
Maybe it's a good thing now that everybody [is] aware about rape culture … and maybe it can change … how we understand relations between men and women.
And to have in mind that there is an oppression, there is domination that we call patriarchy. And this kind of thing, it may have to be deconstructed if we want a more equal society.
Gisèle Pelicot, she expressed support for survivors of sexual violence whose stories don't get as much attention as hers has. And she said, "I want you to know that we share the same fight." What does Gisèle Pelicot mean to people across France, particularly women, now?
It's very important that she said that because … most of the victims are alone and [don't] have a lot of journalists at their trial.
That's why we were … in front of the court every day to show her our support. So she does the same for other victims. And that's what [we] call sorority.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
With files from Reuters. Interview produced by Sarah Jackson. Q&A edited for length and clarity.