The National Assembly voted Wednesday, November 16 in favor of tougher repression of sexist insults and the possibility of filing complaints by videoconference for certain offenses, during the examination of the orientation and programming law of the Ministry of Interior.
During a session that ended shortly before midnight in a tense atmosphere after exchanges of invective, the deputies adopted by a large majority (170 votes for, 28 against) an article reinforcing the repression of the offense of sexist insult
" aggravated”
.
The voted article aims to make it a crime, with a fine that would increase from 1,500 euros currently to 3,750 euros.
Sexist contempt, introduced recently to deal in particular with
"street harassment"
, refers to the fact of imposing on a person
"a remark or behavior with a sexual or sexist connotation"
, undermining their dignity or creating an
"intimidating situation".
, hostile or offensive”
.
It is considered
"aggravated"
in certain cases, for example when it is committed by a person abusing his authority, on a vulnerable person or even in public transport.
Filing a complaint by videoconference
Identical amendments from the oppositions were adopted, with the backing of the government, to extend the aggravated sexist contempt to all minors, and no longer just to those under 15 years old.
Others, who demanded that sexist outrages should not be the subject of
“tort fixed fines”
of lower amounts, were rejected.
The LFI group voted against the measure, deploring a purely
“repressive”
method and believing that it was necessary to
“address the cause and not the consequence”
of these outrages.
Earlier in the day, the Assembly voted largely in favor of a possible filing of a complaint by videoconference for certain offenses, by 155 votes against 2. In the hemicycle, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin had praised Tuesday the one of the
“digital revolutions”
of the ministry, when certain victims must
“take half a day off”
to file a complaint today.
The criminal offenses concerned must be specified by a decree of the Council of State.
With the endorsement of the presidential camp, the deputies adopted an amendment by the socialist Cécile Untermaier mentioning that the victim can refuse the videoconference, if she prefers a “face-to
-face”
procedure .
Videoconferencing is not intended to
“reduce public service”
, underlined Renaissance MP Caroline Abadie, recalling the
“8,500 recruitments”
of gendarmes and police promised by law during the five-year term.
Brigades of gendarmes and mobile police
The deputies adopted a socialist proposal so that a victim of criminal offense can
“ask to file a complaint and be heard”
within
“his home, a specialized association for helping victims or any other place”
.
An amendment by Marie Pochon (EELV), providing for a possible five-year experiment
with “brigades of gendarmes and mobile police officers”
to
“collect complaints from victims of domestic violence in rural areas, in areas determined by decree”
, was also adopted against the opinion of the rapporteur.
Wednesday's session was adjourned about ten minutes before its scheduled end by the Vice-President of the Assembly Valérie Rabault (PS),
"to calm things down"
after exchanges of invective.
Gérald Darmanin complained of having been called a
"liar"
from the ranks of LFI.
Green MP Sandra Regol then deplored the insults hurled at her by deputies, after she asked the minister to
“stop”
on her side “
invective the Nupes”
.
Consideration of the text is due to continue on Thursday.
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