In the capital, the march brought together 80,000 people according to Nous Toutes and the CGT, and 16,500 people according to the police prefecture.
A purple tide flooded the streets of several cities in France on Saturday, November 25 for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: tens of thousands of people protested to demand additional government resources.
“They were mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our friends”: at the head of the Paris procession, the protesters brandished portraits of women killed by their partners.
“We don’t want to count the dead anymore, we don’t want to have to protest anymore!” said Maëlle Noir, from the national coordination of the Nous Toutes collective, which called for a demonstration with other feminist associations, trade unions, and several leftist parties.
The march brought together 80,000 people between Place de la Nation and Place de la République according to Nous Toutes and the CGT, while the police prefecture stated there were 16,500 people.
“Not inevitable”
In 2022, 118 femicides were recorded, a number nearly stable compared to 2021, according to official figures. Over the first 11 months of 2023, feminist associations have documented 121 femicides.
“The persistence of violence against women is not inevitable,” “we must put an end to it and we will,” said Emmanuel Macron in a video posted in the morning on social media.
He listed the actions already underway (extension of 3919 helpline hours, creation of a digital support platform, facilitation of filing complaints, increased number of dedicated investigators, deployment of “high risk phones” and “immediate risk bracelets,” creation of emergency shelter spaces) and praised efforts “that have borne fruit.”
Measures falling short for the protesters, who demand a plan of at least 2 billion euros to combat gender-based and sexual violence, “when the State only spends 185 million,” according to Suzy Rojtam, from the Grève Féministe collective.
“Token gestures,” deplored Muriel Guibert, co-general delegate of Solidaires, who came to demonstrate with the inter-union with CFDT’s Marylise Léon and CGT’s Sophie Binet.
Thousands of protesters
Throughout France, the demonstrators – many women but also men – paraded in a festive and dancing atmosphere, with the sound of drums, feminist songs punctuated by waves of whistles.
Under a sea of purple signs: “Protect your daughters, educate your sons” (Lyon), “In France, a rape every 6 minutes” (Lille), “One is not born a woman but becomes one,” “Dance without being drugged,” “When I go out, I want to be free, not brave” (Strasbourg), “Enough with rape” (Paris).
