Gisèle Pelicot’s Australian supporters are moved that their French heroine wore an Aboriginal scarf

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A group of Gisèle Pelicot’s Australian admirers say they’re moved that the victim in France’s notorious drugging-and-rape case has acknowledged her distant supporters Down Under by wearing a scarf adorned with Aboriginal art. The 72-year-old who refused to remain an anonymous victim wore the silk scarf several times during the trial in Avignon, including when 51 men were convicted and sentenced to prison for molesting her after she had been drugged by her former husband, Dominique Pelicot. The scarf was a $137 gift from a Sydney-based rights advocacy group, the Older Women’s Network. Its chief executive, Yumi Lee, said the group was “astounded, absolutely gobsmacked, honored” that Gisèle Pelicot had accepted their gesture of solidarity.