This week in the War on Women, in the Parisian suburb of Courbevoie, a girl reported to police that she was approached in a park by 3 boys, and interrogated as to her religion. She told them she was Jewish- which to anti-Semites, is a sin, in itself (the exact reasons for this vary over time, but the conclusion is always the same- that some inherent guilt possessed by all Jews, legitimizes absolutely any behavior toward them, whatsoever. So… they dragged her into a shed, beat her, called her a “dirty Jew”, and-
“forced her to have anal and vaginal penetration, fellatio, while uttering death threats and antisemitic remarks,” a police source told AFP.
A couple more pertinent details:
The girl was 12 years old.
And her assailants, were 13 (hence, “a glimpse into the future”- if this indeed is how we are molding the next generation…)
Juveniles are (generally) treated more leniently by the criminal justice system, because society (rightly) recognizes that society shares responsibility for the crimes of juveniles (as the minds of juveniles are not yet fully developed, so their actions are more of a reflection of what they absorb from society, than of their own true nature).
(This man heads France’s France Unbowed party, and the tweet says, “Horrified by this rape in Courbevoie and everything it highlights regarding the conditioning of criminal male behavior from a young age, and antisemitic racism”.)
So- what do you think gave these boys the idea that it was perfectly acceptable to gang rape a girl, merely because she is Jewish?
Any guesses??
(Well, I’m just going to end this with one humble request: the next time you’re thinking of lionizing Hamas as “not a terrorist group”, but “a political movement”, as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated in an interview a few months ago- please DON’T. Please. Thank you...)
And now, on to the rest of this week’s events, in the (eternal, seemingly…) war on women:
Violence
From Huffington Post- 2 Arrested In Death Of 12-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared From 7-Eleven
From The Independent- Billionaire Coca-Cola heir Alki David ordered to pay $900m in landmark sexual assault case
From Women’s Agenda- ‘Could have been prevented’: New study sheds light on how we can stop perpetrators of intimate femicide:
A new report examining intimate femicide cases in Australia indicates that very few occur without prior interaction with the justice system.
This is despite an unusually high number of killings allegedly by men’s violence in Australia. At least one woman a week is murdered by their current or former partner, and in the first five months of 2024 alone, groups tracking the violence put the number of women killed at 35 already.
From Associated Press- ‘Fancy Dance’ with Lily Gladstone balances heartbreak, humor in story of a missing Indigenous woman
Injustice
From Mother Jones- New Connecticut Law Aims to Support Victims of Sexual Assault—and Prevent Them From Being Treated Like Suspects
Serving Time for Their Abusers’ Crimes: The Marshall Project found nearly 100 people who were punished for the actions of their abusers under little-known laws like “accomplice liability.”
Reproductive Rights
From JTA- Missouri judge rejects suit by interfaith clergy, including rabbis, that challenged abortion ban
From Mother Jones- Democrats Are Trying to Repeal a Zombie Law That Could Ban Abortion Nationwide
From the Guttmacher Institute, a live-streamed panel presentation- DATA FOR DEMOCRACY: the Essential Role of Guttmacher Evidence in a post-Roe world:
Attacks on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy are a threat to the very foundations of our democracy. All too often, these attacks are rooted in disinformation and junk science.
In the two years since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and revoked the constitutional right to abortion, we have witnessed a proliferation of abortion bans, attacks on contraception and restrictions on gender-affirming care. Advocates for bodily autonomy are working to counter these restrictions with progressive policies rooted in scientific evidence.
During this panel discussion, Guttmacher experts will highlight our critical role in the post-Roe era and share how the Institute uses data to fuel protective policies. Our guest panelists will share strategies for advancing good reproductive health policies in an anti-rights environment. Together, we will demonstrate the power of data to protect bodily autonomy and safeguard democracy.
Progress
From Mother Jones- The Supreme Court Upholds a Law Disarming Domestic Abusers
From Optimist Daily- A historic bill passes: One-third of Indian Parliament seats to be reserved for women
From Women’s Agenda- Denmark men’s national soccer team refuse pay rise and demand equal pay for women’s team
From South Carolina- First Black woman to earn captain’s rank at Charleston Police leaving her mark
As always, this diary is a group effort. Thanks to mettle fatigue, Tara the Antisocial Social Worker, and the WOW crew for links and discussion.
