Several thousand protesters gathered Monday evening in more than 160 cities across France to denounce the handling of sexual violence by authorities, following the death of Lyhanna in Gers. The gatherings took place in front of the courts of Auch, Marseille, La Rochelle, Saint-Brieuc, and in front of the Ministry of Justice in Paris. Participants held signs demanding « Darmanin resign, » « Justice wake up, » and « Lyhanna, never again, » directly criticizing police and judicial failures in this case.
A national mobilization against failures
The mobilization aimed to call on the State regarding dysfunctions in handling complaints concerning children victims of violence. Protesters denounced the inaction of the justice system and pointed out that victims’ voices were not heard. The Lyhanna case crystallizes deep anger against a judicial system accused of failing to protect children in danger, despite reports and complaints filed prior to the tragedy.
This wave of spontaneous gatherings reflects widespread frustration with the handling of sexual violence in France. Participants demand concrete changes in the functioning of justice and police services to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Pressure is mounting on Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and the entire judicial chain to respond to accusations of negligence in protecting minors.
