The trial of the rapist of two young women assaulted in the heart of Paris offered a summary of the ills afflicting French society, but which the mainstream press and the political class refuse to face up to. The attacker was a migrant under OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), and it took intense mobilisation on the part of the victims to make their voices heard in the face of denial by the media, the justice system—and feminists.
The trial of Jordy Goukara, a 27-year-old Central African, was held in Paris on Friday, September 26th. He stood accused of raping two young women, Mathilde and Claire, in November 2023. Goukara was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a minimum term of nine years, and received a permanent ban from French territory—almost the maximum sentence he could have received in such circumstances. Goukara’s attitude during the trial shocked the public and the judges. Believing that the rapes he committed were part of a “mission,” he even flexed his muscles in open court to prove his “worth.” Given the high risk of recidivism observed in this individual, a severe verdict was warranted.
The victims were visibly satisfied with the sentence, which was far from guaranteed given the current climate of judicial laxity in France today. It owes much to the determination of one of the two victims to obtain a real conviction.
The events took place in the heart of Paris, in upmarket, well-frequented neighbourhoods that are usually spared this kind of crime. Every year, thousands of rapes occur on French soil, not all of which make the headlines—there would be too many. Some have tragic outcomes, such as that of Philippine, who was strangled by her attacker and buried in the Bois de Boulogne. This time, one of the two women raped by Goukara, Claire Geronomi, decided not to remain silent, convinced that obtaining genuine justice would be essential to recovering from the trauma she had suffered.
Although a woman and a victim, she nevertheless encountered a wall of indifference in her quest for redress when her efforts were met with criticism, accusations, and sarcasm. As she revealed to the press, she was denied victim status because of her attacker’s profile: a migrant, and therefore a ‘real’ victim. She, on the other hand, came from a wealthy background and had strong family support, so she was not to be pitied.
Her attacker’s profile, however, did little to elicit compassion. Before the double rape in November 2023, Jordy Goukara had already been convicted 11 times by the French courts for robbery with violence, violence with the use of a weapon, death threats against a teacher, contempt of police officers, rebellion, and drug use. On three occasions, he was issued an OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), which was not enforced. As in the case of Philippine’s murderer, he should never have crossed paths with these women who became his prey. But by insisting on her attacker’s OQTF status, Claire saw many doors close. Physically and psychologically shattered, Claire did not find the support she had hoped for.
Since her assault, Claire Geronomi has joined Éric Ciotti’s party, the Union des Droites pour la République (UDR, or Union of the Right for the Republic), allied with the Rassemblement National (RN), of which she is now the vice-president. According to her, Ciotti was one of the only people who was willing to talk to her when she wondered why her attacker was still on French territory and why his OQTF had not been enforced. On the Left, she is, of course, criticised for this political commitment.
Claire has founded an association, Eclats de femme, aimed at supporting all women who have been assaulted—without fear of moral judgement based on the profile of their attacker, something she herself experienced in a deeply painful way. She wants to support all those who feel like giving up, helping them obtain justice by providing help and advice—“from filing complaints to going to trial.”
As Claire reminded the press, she was supported “only by politicians and so-called right-wing associations, but that’s all.” The only exception to the rule was the former Macronist minister for gender equality, the vociferous Marlène Schiappa, who distinguished herself by posing for Playboy but has the merit of not classifying women who suffer according to the skin colour of their rapist. The minister takes a clear-eyed view of her former political positions: “I admit, I was more on the Left before I entered government, and I used to say to myself—and I’m caricaturing myself here—‘It’s not nice to deport people,’” she said, jokingly, a few days ago in Le Figaro. Today, her discourse is quite different: “We have been dealing with formal law and theoretical politics, but in reality, the law is not being applied, and Claire and Mathilde’s attacker had no business being in France, let alone in that building lobby.”
During the trial, the reality of widespread political and media obstruction once again hit the two young women head-on. Ahead of the trial, Claire Geronomi published an open letter in Le Figaro calling on all feminist associations to come and support the victims during the judiciary process. Among them was the Fondation des Femmes, approached by Mathilde, the other young woman assaulted at the same time as Claire, who had the advantage of not having any known political affiliations that could provoke a reaction of rejection. This precaution was not enough. Not only did the Fondation des Femmes refuse to attend the trial to support the two young women, but its president, Anne-Cécile Mailfert, posted a political attack aimed at stigmatising the victims in the middle of the trial. In this video, she denounces with energy and sarcasm the “strategy of the far right, which is trying to use our rapes to promote its own ideas.” The statement is shocking. Until proven otherwise, it was not Anne-Cécile Mailfert who was raped, but Mathilde and Claire.
Claire Geronimi took up the challenge. Her case took centre stage in the media and politics, and her courage, combined with her attacker’s appalling behaviour, convinced the judges to sentence him to the maximum penalty possible under current French law. This is a genuine victory: “The justice system is capable of applying the punishment that a convicted person deserves. It knows how to do it,” Claire said in an interview with Le Point magazine.
But winning a battle does not mean winning the war. So many other women risk being crushed into silence without obtaining justice, with the complicity of institutionalised feminism, which still refuses to establish any link between immigration and women’s lack of safety.
Paris Rape Case: Tough Sentence Marks a Victory—But the Fight Isn’t Over
Daniel Reche de Pixabay
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The trial of the rapist of two young women assaulted in the heart of Paris offered a summary of the ills afflicting French society, but which the mainstream press and the political class refuse to face up to. The attacker was a migrant under OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), and it took intense mobilisation on the part of the victims to make their voices heard in the face of denial by the media, the justice system—and feminists.
The trial of Jordy Goukara, a 27-year-old Central African, was held in Paris on Friday, September 26th. He stood accused of raping two young women, Mathilde and Claire, in November 2023. Goukara was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a minimum term of nine years, and received a permanent ban from French territory—almost the maximum sentence he could have received in such circumstances. Goukara’s attitude during the trial shocked the public and the judges. Believing that the rapes he committed were part of a “mission,” he even flexed his muscles in open court to prove his “worth.” Given the high risk of recidivism observed in this individual, a severe verdict was warranted.
The victims were visibly satisfied with the sentence, which was far from guaranteed given the current climate of judicial laxity in France today. It owes much to the determination of one of the two victims to obtain a real conviction.
The events took place in the heart of Paris, in upmarket, well-frequented neighbourhoods that are usually spared this kind of crime. Every year, thousands of rapes occur on French soil, not all of which make the headlines—there would be too many. Some have tragic outcomes, such as that of Philippine, who was strangled by her attacker and buried in the Bois de Boulogne. This time, one of the two women raped by Goukara, Claire Geronomi, decided not to remain silent, convinced that obtaining genuine justice would be essential to recovering from the trauma she had suffered.
Although a woman and a victim, she nevertheless encountered a wall of indifference in her quest for redress when her efforts were met with criticism, accusations, and sarcasm. As she revealed to the press, she was denied victim status because of her attacker’s profile: a migrant, and therefore a ‘real’ victim. She, on the other hand, came from a wealthy background and had strong family support, so she was not to be pitied.
Her attacker’s profile, however, did little to elicit compassion. Before the double rape in November 2023, Jordy Goukara had already been convicted 11 times by the French courts for robbery with violence, violence with the use of a weapon, death threats against a teacher, contempt of police officers, rebellion, and drug use. On three occasions, he was issued an OQTF (obligation to leave French territory), which was not enforced. As in the case of Philippine’s murderer, he should never have crossed paths with these women who became his prey. But by insisting on her attacker’s OQTF status, Claire saw many doors close. Physically and psychologically shattered, Claire did not find the support she had hoped for.
Since her assault, Claire Geronomi has joined Éric Ciotti’s party, the Union des Droites pour la République (UDR, or Union of the Right for the Republic), allied with the Rassemblement National (RN), of which she is now the vice-president. According to her, Ciotti was one of the only people who was willing to talk to her when she wondered why her attacker was still on French territory and why his OQTF had not been enforced. On the Left, she is, of course, criticised for this political commitment.
Claire has founded an association, Eclats de femme, aimed at supporting all women who have been assaulted—without fear of moral judgement based on the profile of their attacker, something she herself experienced in a deeply painful way. She wants to support all those who feel like giving up, helping them obtain justice by providing help and advice—“from filing complaints to going to trial.”
As Claire reminded the press, she was supported “only by politicians and so-called right-wing associations, but that’s all.” The only exception to the rule was the former Macronist minister for gender equality, the vociferous Marlène Schiappa, who distinguished herself by posing for Playboy but has the merit of not classifying women who suffer according to the skin colour of their rapist. The minister takes a clear-eyed view of her former political positions: “I admit, I was more on the Left before I entered government, and I used to say to myself—and I’m caricaturing myself here—‘It’s not nice to deport people,’” she said, jokingly, a few days ago in Le Figaro. Today, her discourse is quite different: “We have been dealing with formal law and theoretical politics, but in reality, the law is not being applied, and Claire and Mathilde’s attacker had no business being in France, let alone in that building lobby.”
During the trial, the reality of widespread political and media obstruction once again hit the two young women head-on. Ahead of the trial, Claire Geronomi published an open letter in Le Figaro calling on all feminist associations to come and support the victims during the judiciary process. Among them was the Fondation des Femmes, approached by Mathilde, the other young woman assaulted at the same time as Claire, who had the advantage of not having any known political affiliations that could provoke a reaction of rejection. This precaution was not enough. Not only did the Fondation des Femmes refuse to attend the trial to support the two young women, but its president, Anne-Cécile Mailfert, posted a political attack aimed at stigmatising the victims in the middle of the trial. In this video, she denounces with energy and sarcasm the “strategy of the far right, which is trying to use our rapes to promote its own ideas.” The statement is shocking. Until proven otherwise, it was not Anne-Cécile Mailfert who was raped, but Mathilde and Claire.
Claire Geronimi took up the challenge. Her case took centre stage in the media and politics, and her courage, combined with her attacker’s appalling behaviour, convinced the judges to sentence him to the maximum penalty possible under current French law. This is a genuine victory: “The justice system is capable of applying the punishment that a convicted person deserves. It knows how to do it,” Claire said in an interview with Le Point magazine.
But winning a battle does not mean winning the war. So many other women risk being crushed into silence without obtaining justice, with the complicity of institutionalised feminism, which still refuses to establish any link between immigration and women’s lack of safety.
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