Mayor of French Small Town Mazan Makes Inappropriate Remark on Sexual Violence
"No Children Involved, No Women Died"
Citizens Call It "Shameful" and He Eventually Apologizes
In France, a shocking case was revealed in which a wife was sexually assaulted by more than 50 men unknown to her, orchestrated by her husband. The mayor of the small town where the incident occurred made a controversial remark, saying "No one died," and later apologized. On the 23rd (local time), AFP reported that Louis Bonnet (74), the mayor of Mazan, a small town in southern France, said in a BBC interview on the 10th, "No children were involved, and no women died," which sparked controversy. He also said, "The (victim's) family will have a hard time, but they can rebuild their lives," and added, "Anyway, since no one died, it can be done."
Giselle Pellico, who was sexually assaulted for decades due to her husband's fate, is regarded as a symbol of eradicating sexual violence in France. A mural featuring Pellico's face and the phrase "Let shame change." [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]
Mayor Bonnet's remarks were strongly criticized not only by the local community but throughout France. Citizens expressed their outrage on social media, saying, "It's shameful," "We must not underestimate the seriousness of such sexual crimes," and "Apologize or resign," flooding the mayor with criticism.
As public opinion heated up, Mayor Bonnet issued a statement on the 19th apologizing to the victim and her family. He said, "I have been criticized for minimizing the seriousness of this vile crime with my remarks, and I understand that my comments were shocking. I sincerely apologize." He continued, "Since the trial began in early September, our community of 6,000 people has been under constant media pressure," and added, "I want to apologize to the women hurt by my thoughtless remarks made under the burden of being interviewed by foreign media." He also said, "This horrific story has deeply wounded our community," but added, "However, I fully understand that this wound cannot be compared to the pain experienced by the victim and her family."
Earlier, it was revealed that Dominique Pellico (72), a man living in the area, secretly drugged his wife Giselle Pellico's (72) drinks with sleeping pills and sedatives from July 2011 to October 2020, causing her to lose consciousness. He then invited anonymous men recruited through internet chats to his home to sexually assault his wife. The number of men Dominique recruited was 72, including soldiers, public officials, journalists, delivery workers, and prison officers, with former police officers and firefighters also involved, causing shock. However, some perpetrators have died, and some remain unidentified, so only 51 were actually brought to trial. Some defendants were released during the investigation, and only 18, including Dominique, are being tried in custody.
During the nine years, only two men who entered Dominique's chatroom realized it was a sexual crime and refused to participate. However, even they did not report Dominique's crimes to the police. Dominique's crimes were ultimately uncovered when he was caught secretly filming under women's skirts with his phone at a local supermarket in September 2020. According to authorities, over 20,000 illegal recordings, including videos of his wife being raped, were found on his USB drive. The victim, Giselle, had no memory of being raped due to the drugs, and her children never suspected drugging but thought she might have dementia or a neurological disorder.
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