On September 10, Louis Bonnet, Mayor of Mazan, spoke out in an interview with British media about an extraordinary trial. Dominique Pelicot, 71, is accused of drugging his wife and allowing strangers to rape her for almost ten years

Although this interview received little attention in France, it provoked a strong reaction abroad, particularly in the UK. In his exchange with the BBC, Louis Bonnet claimed that “it could have been worse”. Dominique Pelicot, along with 50 other men, is on trial until December before the Vaucluse departmental criminal court.

During the interview, the mayor acknowledged the seriousness of the facts, but seemed to minimize the repercussions for Gisèle Pelicot and her family. He declared: “When children are involved or women killed, it’s particularly serious because there’s no turning back (…) But they’re still alive.” He also added that his commune should not “bear the burden of a crime that goes beyond what is acceptable”.

Strongly criticized statements

In an interview with the BBC on September 10, the mayor of Mazan had already made similar comments. He declared that “the situation would have been much more serious if [Dominique Pelicot] had murdered his wife”, while acknowledging the seriousness of the facts.

“When children or women are killed, it’s extremely serious, because there’s no way back. In this case, the family will have to rebuild, which will be difficult, but there was no death, so it remains possible,” he added.

His comments sparked off numerous reactions. The association La Fondation des femmes denounced on X (formerly Twitter) that “if rape culture could express itself, it would borrow the voice of the mayor of Mazan”.

For her part, journalist Yvonne Roberts, in an article published in The Observer, accuses the mayor of “minimizing the importance of the crime”. She regretted that “such repugnant speeches” were still being made today.