From the ‘Pélicot case’ to the Errejón scandal: the feminist struggle transforms fear into action and shame changes sides

Every November 25, feminists take to the streets and send a clear message: it is not enough to commemorate. We must act, demand and resist, because as long as there is a single woman who lives with pain or fear for the fact of being one, The fight to eradicate sexist violence will continue to be necessary. Feminism remembers, however, that change will not come alone, but ending murder, abuse and torment requires resources and political commitment, but above all collective action. Slogans, no matter how powerful they are, unless they are translated into budgets, effective laws and social conscience, will remain just words.

The figures are devastating. In Spain, at least 1,285 women have been murdered since 2003 in sexist crimes recorded, year in which These data began to be officially recorded. This year, between January and mid-November, already There are 40 women who have lost their lives at the hands of their attackers. While, since January 1, 2013, 61 boys and girls have been murdered in this type of context.

It is known, however, that This number does not include other invisible violence such as suicides resulting from abuse, psychological attacks or economic violence. Nor are the rest of the physical and emotional victims left by the murder of a mother, a sister, a daughter, a grandmother or a friend. Nor is there any way to quantify the daily fear of knowing if your daughter will return home safely after a party, the guilt for not having known how to advise, prevent or listen enough; the feeling of helplessness when you walk alone or not knowing how to move forward after having been attacked by someone in whom you placed your trust.

Madrid 8M Assembly: “We take to the streets to support those who cannot report and those who have done so, so that they are not left alone”

However, there are recent scars that have marked an agenda that, although the extreme right and the complicit right have not stopped harassing, has shown more than ever feminist strength in assemblies and neighborhoods. It is likely that the rectification of the sentence of The Packthe general rejection of Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss to Jenni Hermoso, the sentence of Dani Alves, the courage of Gisèle Pélicot or the resignation of Íñigo Errejón would not have occurred if there had not been a feminist movement well rooted in our society behind it, heir to decades of struggles that even precede Francoism.

Women have somehow found a way to step forward. It has been seen with the case of Ramon Paso –It must be remembered that the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office denounced the playwright and the screenwriter based on the testimony of 14 women for various crimes of a sexual nature. The alleged crimes, collected a few months ago by Publicincluded sexual assaults, in some cases of a continuous nature, harassment, harassment, coercion and crimes against moral integrity. The same thing happened with the three women who claimed – through a newspaper investigation The Country– having suffered sexual violence by the filmmaker Carlos Vermouthwinner of the San Sebastián Golden Shell with Magical Girl.

It is no coincidence that this year the motto of the great demonstration called by the 8M Assembly of Madrid, which will tour the streets of the capital, is “Together fear changes sides”; or that in Barcelona the march organized by the Novembre Feminista collective is led by the motto “Shame and fear, for the aggressors! Governments and States, assume their responsibilities!”. It is an example that 25N is not only a reminder of the lives lost, but a call not to forget the cases that daily expose the seams of a system that never stops failing.

It is important not to lose sight of the fact that only one of Gisèle Pélicot’s attackers has asked for forgiveness after admitting that he did rape her. Meanwhile, a dozen defendants have admitted that they “slept” with her, but always with excuses, such as that they were manipulated by Dominique Pélicot. They all deny that they were aware that the victim was drugged and unconscious when they got into her bed.

It is also worth bearing in mind that, despite the fact that for years Íñigo Errejón did not hesitate to position himself as a defender of justice and reparation for women who reported sexist violence, now that he is the one facing a complaint for sexual assault – accused by actress Elisa Mouliaá– has taken a turn in his speech and, as I explained a few days ago in a conversation with Public María Naredo, seems to be following “the good manual of defense against aggressors.” The judicial procedure is currently suspended due to the maternity leave from Mouliaá’s lawyer. Although in its appeal Errejón’s defense has described this measure as a “delaying maneuver.”

In 2023, it was the movement #It’sOver which showed how sexist violence is still present even in public contexts. This year, it seems that a new #MeToo has been unleashed as a result of the testimonies against Errejón, although different feminist groups such as the 8M Assembly insist that “everyday and structural violence does not need a media event to be made visible and combated”. Mobilizations in Seville, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Santiago, Bilbao and thousands of other cities and towns promise to make fear and shame their own weapon against those who perpetuate silence and impunity.

What has changed this 25N?

If you look back a year, you can see how the 25N was marked in general terms by a commitment to sorority and the collective empowerment. learn to say “Enough” together, under a unity that does not erase differences, but rather celebrates them as a source of legitimacy in the battle against patriarchy, capitalism or colonialism. The emphasis was on weave alliances in the face of sexist violence that confines its victims to their homes, depoliticizes and privatizes its causes.

Montse Benito, from the Novembre Feminista collective, explains that this November 25, 2024, it is demanded that the focus of blame and fear stop falling on the victims

In 2024, the claim goes one step further and It is directed directly towards those who perpetuate the attacks or allow their impunity. In the words of Montse Benitofrom the Novembre Feminista collective, demands that the focus of guilt and fear stop falling on the victims and point directly to those who victimize them and the “complicit” institutions.

It does not seem a coincidence that in Petrer (Alacant), the City Council has promoted the campaign “Your silence makes you an accomplice”, that in Gipuzkoa the forceful slogan “No more excuses” has been launched, that in Puerto de la Cruz the initiative has been approved “Do not be complicit in sexual violence” or that the Feminist Movement of Euskal Herria has opted for the idea: “Shame is going to change sides.” Feminists have begun to demand accountability.

This change in focus not only reflects a evolution in speechbut also in the priorities of the movement. From the 8M Assembly in Madrid they remember that “social change does not happen from one year to the next” and claim that, in fact, it is now that the disputes undertaken in recent decades are flourishing: issues such as rape culture and aggression Sexual relations, previously silenced, are now part of the public debate. In this sense, “the focus is also shifting,” they say, evidencing a change in mentality and in the social narrative.

This turn has, in turn, practical implications. wanted May shame stop being the weight that women carrylesbians, trans people and other dissident identities that endure sexist violence, and falls on those who participate in these attacks or support them from power structures.

Feminist groups point out that lack of effective policies In areas such as housing, employment or education, it is also part of the framework and focuses especially on migrant women, to whom laws such as immigration law and the situation in the CIE expose them to additional attacks, both institutional and social. For this reason, they insist from the 8M Assembly: “We go out to the streets to provide support to those who cannot report and those who have done soso that they are not left alone.”