‘It’s your turn to shake’: Woman who claims 20 firefighters raped her in France condemns her alleged attackers

'She was aged between 13 and 15, and she had very fragile health at that moment,' claims alleged victim's mother

'Julie' has accused all of the firefighters of raping her between 2008 and 2010 (AFP via Getty Images)

“I have a message for my rapists,” Julie* says in her first ever statement to the public. “You thought that you killed me, but now it’s your turn to shake.”

Some 20 firemen from a range of fire stations across Paris are accused of raping Julie when she was aged between 13 and 15 years old in a case which has sent waves of rage crashing across France.

Julie, the fake name the French press have assigned to the young woman to protect her identity, has accused all of the firefighters of raping her between 2008 and 2010 after a fireman known as Pierre helped her when she had a severe anxiety seizure back in 2008.

Pierre then allegedly discovered Julie’s contact details in her medical records and began to inundate her with messages that quickly became highly sexualised. Julie, now 25, claims she repeatedly had to go to hospital for severe anxiety attacks after the firefighters allegedly raped her, but her trips to hospital needed the ambulance service, which firefighters staff, to help.

Julie’s case - which has sparked demonstrations across France - was due to be heard before the highest court in France on Wednesday with judges expected to announce a conclusion. In stark contrast to the rest of the European Union, France has no formal age of sexual consent and many in society have often deemed sex between older men and younger women to be consensual.

Sexual violence victims in France are required to provide evidence they were forced into sex even in situations where they were underage.

While three firefighters were previously charged with gang rape, this was later dropped to sexual violation under a law which stipulates it is an offence for those in positions of authority to engage in sex with individuals younger than 18. While perpetrators can be slapped with two decades in prison for rape, offenders can only get seven years for sexual violation.

Lawyers representing Julie will insist all 20 firefighters should be charged with rape, whereas at present just three men are charged with “sexual violation” in court.

“A child of the French Republic was raped by 20 firefighters when she was aged between 13 and 15 years old,” Corinne Leriche, Julie's mother, alleges to The Independent. “She was brave enough to complain when she was 15, and now she's fighting with a lot of bravery to get justice."

She adds: "The French justice system refuses to condemn all of them even though they all recognised the fact that they had sex with her. She was aged between 13 and 15, and she had very fragile health at that moment. So we call it ‘rape’, not ‘sexual attempt’, or even ‘sexual relation’. The French 'cour de cassation' will decide if they break the first judgment and accept our demand to sue the 20 firefighters.”

While the firemen argue Julie consented to sex, her family insist she was seriously vulnerable and did not have the ability to give consent.

“French feminists will fight until Julie gets justice,” Marguerite Stern, who is part of a feminist organisation called l’Amazone, tells The Independent. “We will continue to write her name everywhere on the walls of our cities. And I ask for support from other feminists from all over the world. I call on them to demonstrate in front of French embassies to bring international attention on the case. We need the world to hear it.”

While Jacqui Hunt, director of the Europe Office for Equality Now, an NGO which promotes the rights of women and girls, noted it is by no means the first time the French courts have looked at the rape and abuse of girls - adding that questions have been previously asked about whether French laws are “fit for purpose”.

“Children and vulnerable adults particularly need to be protected from exploitation by those in a position of power or trust - such as those in the police, fire brigade, and educational institutions - or on whom they depend, including family members," she adds. "When allegations concern adults and children, warning bells will be ringing loudly and the presumption will have to be that there was exploitation. It is key to look at these power structures and other coercive and environmental forces to establish the capacity of an individual to truly consent to and willingly engage in sex. Anything else is abuse.”

Ms Hunt warned women and girls who have suffered rape and sexual assault in Europe and across the world grapple with profound barriers in getting justice and support.

“And the awful way criminal justice systems frequently treat women and girls - re-traumatise them during investigations and court trials – understandably deters other survivors from speaking up about their own experiences,” she says. “This leads to a shocking cycle of impunity.”

*Name changed to protect victim’s identity