Chief of Paris’s police urged women on Wednesday to report any cases of sexual assault during the celebrations of France’s World Cup win, after dozens of accounts by victims were posted on social media in recent days.
“These cases must be brought to our attention so that investigations can be carried out,” Michel Delpuech said on Europe 1 radio.
Others complained about sexual assaults during the team’s victory parade down the Champs Elysees avenue on Monday, eventually using the hashtag #MeTooFoot, a nod to the Me Too movement that came about in the wake of rape and assault claims against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“For me it was during the third goal… when I felt a hand slide up under my skirt,” a Twitter user named Isa posted on Monday.
Others also posted that they had not filed complaints, saying they did not believe the police would pursue their cases since the perpetuators quickly fled into the crowd.
France’s Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa also encouraged victims to come forward on Tuesday, saying on Twitter that “A man forcibly kisses a woman during the World Cup parties, that’s sexual assault that is punished by the law.
