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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent

‘How many more Gisèles are out there?’: Pelicot trial jolts fight against sexual violence

Supporters cheer as they wait for Gisèle Pelicot outside court in Avignon
Supporters cheer as they wait for Gisèle Pelicot outside court in Avignon on Thursday. Photograph: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP/Getty Images

It was during a workshop on macramé near Barcelona, between bouts of tugging on ropes and tying knots, that the conversation turned to the mass rape trial taking place in neighbouring France. After one woman at the table said she was considering travelling to Avignon for a rally in support of Gisèle Pelicot, another stood up, introduced herself and said she would like to come along.

Six days later, six women from the workshop made the six-hour trip to Avignon together in a rented car. They were intent on joining the many expressing their horror after Dominique Pelicot, one of the worst sex offenders in modern French history, was accused of drugging his then wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her over the course of a decade.

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