Ary Abittan on stage is far from being a joy for the feminist collective
After demanding the cancellation of the show a week ago, the local committee @noustoutes17 called Tuesday morning, on its Instagram account, for a mobilization in front of the La Rochelle theater “to denounce the arrival of Ary Abittan” mentioned the press release. Photos posted on the account’s story show a handful of activists who apparently made the trip. This Wednesday evening, the collective also plans to appear at 8:30 p.m. in front of the theater.
The 76actu site reports that on October 5, activists from Nous Tous Rouen had already mobilized against the arrival of the actor in front of the Théâtre à l’Ouest.
Indicted for rape in November 2021, Ary Abittan was granted the more favorable status of assisted witness before the investigation was closed by two magistrates. These investigating judges considered that new elements, collected after the indictment of the actor, were “likely to weaken the probative value of the clues initially retained”, according to elements of the order of which the AFP had received awareness. If the magistrates recognized the “indisputable” post-traumatic stress of the young woman after the events, they do not consider it “possible to conclude that the traumatic lesions and bleeding” of the complainant “result from an act of sexual penetration not consensual” because the two said they had had a first consensual intercourse, and that the bleeding “pre-existed, at least in part, the second disputed intercourse”.
Also readLetter from Gérard Depardieu: “A truly filthy message”, responds Charlotte Arnould
A reclassification of the facts which has not appeased the spirits: “If he is placed under the status of assisted witness, this does not amount to being exonerated” estimates the collective via a press release accompanying the request for cancellation of the show, A week ago. According to activists, “offering center stage to alleged attackers amounts to condoning intolerable acts and actively contributes to the impunity that is today the rule when accusations target famous or powerful men.”
“We are not investigating judges. Justice has done its job. He is no longer indicted. As a programmer, I try to be as neutral as possible. Ary Abittan performed Monday and Tuesday in a room in Le Mans (Sarthe) and everything went very well. 97% of its audience are women,” replied Tewfik Behar, head of the theater via the daily Sud Ouest.
If the collective does not plan to replace justice, its action aims to inform the public and above all to “tell victims of sexist and sexual violence that we are on their side”.