According to the organizers, 100,000 people took to the streets in Paris alone.Image: www.imago-images.de
Jul 5, 2026, 12:29 amJul 5, 2026, 12:29 am
Tens of thousands of people protested against sexual violence in several French cities on Saturday. According to the organizers, 100,000 people took to the streets in Paris alone.
The protests were triggered by the death of eleven-year-old Lyhanna, who was allegedly raped and killed by a sexual predator. The organizers of the demonstrations, an alliance of 180 associations, are calling for a comprehensive law instead of “individual measures and laws” to combat sexual violence at all levels.
The case of the killed eleven-year-old caused outrage in France because the suspect had been charged with raping a minor since 2025 and had not even been questioned. An earlier investigation into the rape of minors had been closed. Several other indications of sexual assault had no consequences.
The girl’s body was found in a grain silo on June 4, six days after she disappeared. She was last seen on surveillance camera images in the car of a friend’s father. (sda/apa/afp)