About 150 women took part on Friday March 10 in a night march in the streets of Metz, to reclaim public space and denounce street harassment, two days after an attempted murder of a spouse.
The rally, organized by the local feminist associations "
We all 57
" and "
Les Effrontées de Moselle
", started around 8 p.m. on Place de la Comédie, from where the feminist activists marched for almost an hour, to Place de the Republic, escorted by four police cars.
At the head of the procession, one could read written in red letters on a banner: "
The night is here
".
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Women of all ages
In the parade, women of all ages, old ladies, young girls, mothers with strollers, groups of girlfriends displaying signs with feminist messages and chanting: “The street is ours, day and night
!
".
In the pouring rain, they advanced to the Place d'Armes, in front of the cathedral, where on Wednesday a young woman, Elodie H., was the victim of an attempted femicide by her ex-spouse.
The activists denounced a "
heinous attack
", recalling that the man who stabbed him five times in the abdomen did "
not support that a woman escapes him, that she lives her own life without him
" .
A filmed video message followed by applause was produced by the activists for Elodie H., "
alive, injured, but who will recover
", they specified.
It will be passed on to her by her friends.
“
When we walk like that, together in the street and at night, shouting, we feel powerful
”, testified Eva Volatier, 22, spokesperson for the association Les Effrontées de Moselle.
“
It feels good to shout and speak for those who can no longer
.”
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The march resumed under the traditional songs of feminist demonstrations: “
so-so-so solidarity with women around the world!
or “
Mator, whistler, rapist, get out! ”
".
Activists have also renamed several Messin streets with female surnames, such as rue Christine de Pizan or rue Angela Davis.
Squares have also been renamed, such as St Louis Square renamed Malala Yousafzai Square, named after this Pakistani women's rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner at 17.