A 30-year-old man has become the first person to be fined under a new law in France that outlaws catcalling.
The woman is understood to have complained to the bus driver, who was attacked by the assailant after confronting him.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This month marked the launch of new legislation, passed by French lawmakers in August, under which catcallers can be hit with fines of up to €750 (£670) for their behaviour.
Yesterday a judge in Evry, south of Paris, invoked the new law to hand a €300 (£268) fine to the accused man, whose name has not been released. The assailant was also jailed for three months for slapping the woman and attacking the bus driver.
“This is the first conviction for sexist insults in the country,” a Justice Ministry spokesperson confirmed to Paris-based news agency AFP. Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa applauded the court ruling in a tweet.
Schiappa, was instrumental in passing the outrage sexiste (sexist insult) law, Inquisitr reports.
Pressure to enact tougher penalties for street harassment “was partly fuelled by a viral video of a 22-year-old architecture student being harassed while she walks past a Parisian cafe, only to be punched by the same man seconds later”, adds Quartz. The footage sparked widespread outrage after being shared online in July.
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
The world’s uncontacted peoples under threatThe Explainer Indigenous groups face ‘silent genocide’ from growing contact with miners, missionaries and influencers
-
Down Cemetery Road: Emma Thompson dazzles in the new Slow HorsesThe Week Recommends 'Top-notch’, twisty thriller based on Mick Herron’s debut novel
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
