Protesters rally against French minister accused of rape

PARIS — Chanting “Impunity is Over!” or dancing against sexual violence, women’s rights activists protested Friday in multiple cities in France and abroad against President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of a new interior minister who is accused of rape and against a justice minister who has minimized the #MeToo movement.

The actions started Friday morning in Dijon, where new Interior

Minister Gerald Darmanin and Prime Minister Jean Castex were meeting with police. A dozen feminists held out banners and signs condemning Darmanin and rape culture.

Later Friday, in front of Paris City Hall, women staged a flash mob and performed the song and dance ” A Rapist in Your Path ” started by feminists in Chile, which has become a rallying cry against sexual violence.

The crowd demanded Darmanin’s resignation and expressed anger at Macron, who had promised to make fighting sexual violence a cause of his term.

Feminist group Nous Toutes and others announced other actions Friday in other French cities and at French embassies or consulates in London, Sydney, Montreal, Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona and Tel Aviv.

Darmanin denies the rape accusation. New Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti is a lawyer who has defended a government member accused of rape and has ridiculed women in the #MeToo movement.