French woman punched by catcaller in public for telling him to "shut up" - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=u-VcErKk6Qs A film of a man hitting a woman in the face in central Paris after she told him to “shut up" for harassing her in the street has shocked France and prompted an investigation. Social media posts of Marie Laguerre on her ordeal have prompted outrage and a pledge by France's gender equality minister to start imposing on-the-spot fines for street harassment this autumn. The 22-year old student was walking home in Paris’ 19th arrondissement last week when she was accosted by a young man at the terrace of a bar in broad daylight. Marlène Schiappa, France’s gender equality minister, called the assault an attack on the "freedom of women" as she backed plans to introduce on the spot fines for harassment including wolf-whistling. Describing her deal on social media, Ms Laguerre wrote in English: “I walked past a man who sexually/verbally harassed me." “He wasn't the first one and I can't accept being humiliated like that, so I replied ‘shut up’,” she wrote. “He then threw an ashtray at me, before rushing back to punch me, in the middle of the street, in front of dozens of people.” She later told Le Parisien that he had insulted her repeatedly, wagged his tongue and made sexually suggestive "groans". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/30/film-woman-punched-confronting-wolf-whistler-shocks-france-fines/ Last week, French senators amended the bill on sexual violence and street harassment to add a ban on upskirting, inspired by Britain’s proposed law against taking photos under womens' skirts or dresses without their permission, and similar legislation in Canada and Belgium. They chose to make “filming improper images” a criminal offence punishable by a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of nearly £27,000.

Well that's bass ackwards

Yeah this is fucked. It's equally fucked to try to use this to introduce fines for cat calling though. Not only would the law infringe on free speech, it's not needed as it's neither legal or socially acceptable to punch people in the street as seen in the video.

today i learned that whistling at random strangers on the street is free speech

Free speech doesn't allow you to sexually harass people verbally. Though I agree that introducing fines is pretty tricky.

What a fuckig asshole

Thats not really how free-speech works...

She added: "He rushed towards me. I looked at him straight in the eyes. And I took the blow with the utmost pride just to show him that if he thought he could put me back in my place, it hadn't worked." the only way she could have handled this better would be if she gelded him afterwards

It very much is. It's not free speech to harass someone but I can go up to anyone and say or whistle anything. That's exactly what free speech is.

... but what he did was harassing...

It's not harassment to cat call someone. It's harassment when it's either systematic or if you would run after the person or whatever.

I mean before that

Yeah maybe because it seems like he follows her before. I agree that cat calling is stupid in it self (even though I've seen it work) but I'm arguing against making it illegal since it would very much infringe on free speech. Isn't harassment already illegal by the way?

Hell yeah it's harassment

Catcalling IS harassment! Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that consists of unwanted comments, gestures, honking, wolf-whistlings, catcalling, exposure, following, persistent sexual advances, and touching by strangers in public areas such as streets, shopping malls, and public transportation.

Where is that information from? If it's by court considered harassment to make unwanted comments and gestures there is something seriously wrong with the country and it's laws because that is not harassment. No person have the right to not have other people say stuff that they don't want to hear which is what free speech is all about in the first place. I can in fact go on the street and scream damn girl you look fine and that should be protected by free speech. If I would follow a woman and make demeaning comments towards her it's harassment because she is actively trying to get away from me. If we go by your definition I should get fined for telling a woman she looks beautiful and asking her out.

No, catcalling is not the same as complimenting a person or asking them out

Catcalling IS VERY SPECIFIC.

comparing catcalling to telling a woman she looks beautiful and asking her out is like comparing rape and consensual sex

I'm referring to the comment I answered where the poster has linked some information saying that it's harassment to say something unwanted to someone else.

>even though I’ve seen it work uhh what planet are you living on?

Wikipedia. I realize it's not the best source, but... You see this black-and-white. Saying something unwanted isn't always harassment - it strongly depends on what you say and how you say it: "You look good today!" - not harassment, even if unwanted "Damn, nice ass." - probably harassment, unless you know this person really well and know they'll be fine with it The point is that catcalling can make some people uncomfortable or fearful, because they do not know your intentions. Yes, you have free speech, but free speech doesn't apply if it has a potential to harm someone. Sure. If you say "I want to fuck you really hard" to a woman in the street and NOT follow her, you might get arrested for intimidation.

Earth. I've seen a few people whistling towards women they don't seem to know saying stuff like "shit så snygg baby" which basically = "damn you're fine" and then go on to having a beer or getting their number. All depends on what woman pass them and if they consider the guy attractive. I've even met women that enjoy catcalling and find it masculine even though they are in a very small minority.

"I've even met women that enjoy catcalling and find it masculine even though they are in a very small minority." Oh fuck off with that enabling bullshit.

Catcalling sounded fine to me until I saw the guy I was working with at a construction site grab his dick and go 'Yo baby' at a girl I knew. The sudden shift in her expression and body language was pretty obvious. So you can just screw off with that 'harmless' shit. A law aiming to stamp out this shit isn't infringing on your free speech, it's infringing on your ability to be an asshole. If you can't separate the two, then I have some bad news for you.

I understand that its an issue for women, i. e. wolf whistling, but introducing fines for that, as well as classifying as sexual harrasment? I might be a bit ignorant of the issue as I live in a country where nobody ever does this apart from drunk people, but they are retards you should never pay attention to.

HEY DUDE NICE TWINKYASS YOU GOT WOOHOO!! ID LIKE TO STRAP YOU TO MY CLOTHESRACK AND SPANK YOUR MANBOOBS!!

Of course one of y'all came stumbling out of the woodwork to "well, actually" us Cause letting people say or do absolutely anything will somehow lead to bad behaviors being weeded out by themselves, cause that's how that works.

What is cat calling, for real tho? I am seriously confused and uneducated on this, is it like saying somebody "beautiful breasts!" or more dirty, like "nice ass!", "i d like to fuck u hun"?

catcalling is usually making sexually rude comments to an individual.