ArchiveFM

The Daily

France’s Horrifying Rape Trial Has a Feminist Hero

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence. After months of testimony, verdicts are expected as soon as this week in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France. Catherine Porter, who has covered the trial, discusses the woman at the center of the case and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the #MeToo era on their head. Guest: Catherine Porter, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in Paris.
Duration
32m
Broadcast on
18 Dec 2024
Audio Format
other

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence.

After months of testimony, verdicts are expected as soon as this week in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France.

Catherine Porter, who has covered the trial, discusses the woman at the center of the case and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the #MeToo era on their head.

Guest: Catherine Porter, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in Paris.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Bovarro. This is the Daily. As soon as this week, after months of testimony, verdicts are expected in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France.
Today, my colleague correspondent, Katherine Porter, on the woman at the center of that trial and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the Me Too era on their head. It's Wednesday, December 18th.
Katherine, it has been a really long time. And I am very glad to be speaking with you. Me too. It's nice to be back with you, Michael. So we're going to be talking today about a case that when it first began to reverberate outside of France, where you are, really shocked the world. And then, as even the most shocking things do, it kind of receded from our collective consciousness, but not from yours. No. Oh, my God. And I think it hasn't receded from the French consciousness either, because once you put your mind to it and you lock your eyes on it, it's really hard to tear them away. This is a story of a rape trial in which 51 men are on trial at the same time for raping or sexually assaulting the same woman. So I think that even if you just hear that much, it's so much to handle, but there's all these other elements that have made this case impossible to look away from. And the most important one is the woman at the center and the way she has conducted herself throughout this trial. And her decision really to use her own private torment and hell as a force for greater good to change society. Well, to understand how the woman at the center of this case does this remarkable thing, let's start at the beginning of this case. Sure. So this case begins in the end of 2020, and it involves a married couple living in the south of France, Giselle Pelico and her husband Dominique.

Transcription truncated.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence. After months of testimony, verdicts are expected as soon as this week in a rape trial that has both horrified and captivated the people of France. Catherine Porter, who has covered the trial, discusses the woman at the center of the case and how, with a single decision, she has turned the power dynamics of the #MeToo era on their head. Guest: Catherine Porter, an international correspondent for The New York Times based in Paris.