Watch: Paris woman is assaulted by her harasser for standing up to him
The video has gone viral in France, steering a discussion towards safety of women in public places.
A shocking video from the streets of Paris has caused uproar all over France, with demands for stringent laws against street harassment.
The footage of a man punching a woman in the face near a street café in Paris when she told him off for harassing her has triggered a debate around women’s safety after it was posted online by the victim, 22-year-old architecture student Marie Laguerre.
She later told Le Parisien that he had harassed her repeatedly, with sexually suggestive behaviour. “I turned to him and everything went extremely fast, but then I knew he was going to hit me. I was even ready to fight. When the blow came, I took it without showing any emotion. He continued to scream,” Laguerre said.
Speaking on France’s BFM Television, Marlène Schiappa, France’s gender equality minister, said such behaviour with women was “intolerable.”
« Il n’est pas tolérable qu’en France, en 2018, des femmes soient frappées dans la rue parce qu’elles refusent d’être insultées quand elles marchent. C’est un enjeu fondamental de liberté. C’est pourquoi combattre le harcèlement de rue est une priorité. » #BFMTV pic.twitter.com/DVcUCyJ3k1
— 🇫🇷 MarleneSchiappa (@MarleneSchiappa) July 30, 2018
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also tweeted her support.
Solidarité totale! Merci Marie Laguerre pour votre courage! Stop au harcèlement! https://t.co/7Tkd74mEUB
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) July 30, 2018