"It's as if Emmanuel Macron gave us a big arm of honor. The day after the announcement of the composition of the new government, feminist activists said they were “stunned”, “dismayed”, “in shock”. For them, the appointment of Gérald Darmanin to the Interior, targeted by an investigation for rape, and that to the Justice of Eric Dupond-Moretti, who stood out for his anti-feminist outings, are "blows to the fight against violence against women ”.
"Build your career on the acquittal of men accused of rape, you will be Minister of Justice! […] Be accused of rape, you will be the first cop in France! "Denounced the collective Dare feminism !, which launched a petition to demand their withdrawal from the government.
In the morning of Tuesday, in Paris, twenty feminist activists gathered not far from the Interior Ministry, during the handover, to the cries of "Darmanin resignation" and "Darmanin rapist". A little later, around fifty activists from the collective Tous Tous proceeded, in front of the Madeleine church, to the symbolic burial of equality between women and men, decreed "great cause of the quinquennium" by the executive.
"A terrible signal for the victims"
Gérald Darmanin was implicated by two women in early 2018. One accuses him of rape, the other of abuse of weakness, accusations he contests. If the investigations have just resumed for the first, a dismissal has been rendered for the second. "This appointment Place Beauvau, it is a terrible signal sent to the victims, but also to the aggressors", deplores Marie Cervetti, the director of the association A woman, a roof. “The head of the institution supposed to collect and protect women's complaints is accused of rape. How do you get women to go through the door of a police station after that? Chokes Caroline De Haas, from Nous Tous.
The new Keeper of the Seals, for its part, has repeatedly illustrated itself by taking positions that are unfavorable to movements for the liberation of speech by victims, such as #MeToo or by opposing, in 2018, the offense of sexist contempt , dear to Marlène Schiappa. “It is well documented: there are major dysfunctions of the justice system in the care of women victims of violence. When his boss, the Keeper of the Seals, considers that the words of women are worth nothing, how can we resolve these dysfunctions? Caroline De Haas is moved. It is nothing more than an attempt by the government to close the blanket on the word of women ”.
A "snub"
Anne-Cécile Mailfert, the president of the Fondation des Femmes does not hide her "concern". “Justice and the Interior are extremely important ministries when it comes to combating violence against women. Two ministries in which the lines were moving a bit, ”she regrets. "Is it a reminiscence of the old world, a last burst? Or a backlash? She wonders.
"The most shocking", denounces for her part the socialist senator Laurence Rossignol, "it is the formula of the Elysee", which says that the complaint of rape targeting Gérald Darmanin "did not obstruct" the promotion of 'a minister. “It's a snub. This completely undermines collective mobilization against sexual violence. The great cause of the quinquennium that we expected, at least we no longer expect it, ”quipped the former Minister for Women's Rights.
A “will to do battle”
In the feminist ranks, however, the general mobilization seems to have been sounded. "The revolt is absolute: we see in these appointments a desire to crush the feminist movement", warns Alice Coffin, new elected EELV at the Council of Paris. “There are many different movements in feminism. And today, all those I know have the will to do battle. ”
Will the feminist struggle become more radical? “Political oppression against women is becoming more radical. So necessarily, the resistance will further strengthen and move to direct action, ”warns the feminist activist. Who adds: “Darmanin cannot stay put. It is a frontal combat which opens. From now on, he will not be able to take a step without being confronted with feminist activists ”.
Political Newsletter
Every day, the political news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
At the end of the Council of Ministers, the new government spokesperson Gabriel Attal considered that Gérald Darmanin should be able to "benefit from the presumption of innocence". "There are investigations, they are held and it is normal - we are in the rule of law - but we cannot go further than that by considering that, finally, because there are investigations, there would have crimes, an inability to exercise in a government, "he argued.
