French Women Rise Up Against Coverage Of Strauss-Kahn Scandal
LatestThis Sunday afternoon, May 22nd, hundreds of men and women gathered in a square by the Pompidou Center in the center of Paris to speak up against the sexist statements made by French journalists and politicians, following the arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
I have been closely following the coverage of the case on American, British, Italian, and French media -– and I was indeed outraged by the declarations made by many French politicians, news broadcasters, and an army of pundits (psychologists, lawyers, authors, you name it). They could be classified in four different categories:
Outrage -– as in, “How can you show photos and videos of a defendant in handcuffs? Everybody will think he’s guilty” (because in France there are strict policies against showing such images. And, more importantly, members of the French elite are virtually untouchable). The bottom line: “American law is too tough.”
Denial -– as in, “No, I cannot believe this shocking news, it must have been made up. There is certainly a Machiavellian plot to destroy Dominique Strauss-Kahn and prevent him from becoming the next French president.” This, by the way, has been the dominant point of view in French media since news of the arrest first broke. To the point that, according to a recent poll, 60% of French people believe the charges are the result of a conspiracy. (All this despite the fact that DSK’s predatory and aggressive behavior towards women was an open secret in France).
Dismissal -– as in, “Nobody died, why make such a big fuss about this?” Spoken by the former minister of culture and education Jack Lang.
And -– most outrageous of all -– French media disclosed the full name of the plaintiff, the 32-year-old maid originally from Ghana who has accused Dominique Strauss Kahn of sexual assault. Le Figaro and Paris Match even disclosed the name of her 15-year-old daughter. Some radio programs and newspapers discussed the physical attractiveness of the alleged victim. Mon Dieu!