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Has the DSK Affair Changed France?

As Dominique Strauss-Kahn prepares to return to Paris after being cleared of sexual assault charges, it will be interesting to see how he is received in a country which has been rocked by the affair. We will never know what happened in that New York hotel room but what is clear is that France's perception of DSK has been altered and that whilst he was away, questions were raised about the behaviour of politicians in general. But what will happen now he has been vindicated?

Up until Strauss-Kahn's arrest, the media had respected the private life, particularly the sex lives, of public figures. The lurid details of Strauss-Kahn's alleged sexual encounters with Diallo and others, reported in the US press, were initially viewed with horror by journalists and politicians here. But with the internet, the stories could not be suppressed. We were told that DSK was known as a 'lapin chaud', a womaniser and a seducer within political and media circles. We also read that there was a tacit acceptance that powerful men take advantage of 'weaker' women. One commentator suggested that DSK's encounter with Diallo was normal, if not routine, and that men of Strauss-Kahn's status could expect sexual favours from 'staff'.

However, as the days passed, this acceptance of politician's indiscretions began to be questioned. Women who'd been sexually harassed by other politicians spoke out. A junior minister was forced to resign over allegations that he took advantage of two women who were working for him. Feminist groups took to the street to complain about the misogynistic way in which the press was covering the DSK story. They also used the case to highlight the rape statistics in France; only 10% of women raped report the crime and less than 2% of alleged attackers are convicted.

The tone in the media changed. Not much but a little and a debate began about how much we should know about the lives of people in the public eye and what is and is not acceptable. Then Tristane Banon stepped forward. A young writer and journalist who alleged she had been assaulted by Strauss-Kahn in 2003. She claimed that she had been silenced. Footage of her talking about the attack on a TV interview in 2008 came to light – the name of her alleged attacker was blanked out. Suddenly, the media wanted to hear her story and within days everyone knew her allegations. A potential socialist party candidate was questioned by police after Banon alleged that she had told him about the incident. Banon's mother also revealed that she had 'rough' though consensual sex with Strauss-Kahn.

Now that Strauss-Kahn has been cleared of any wrong doing, will the momentum for change continue? I'd like to think so. I'd like to think that the French will want to hold their politicians to account, to be more critical and aware of their actions. I'd also like to think that women will continue to stand up for their rights. It is telling that one of France's key feminist groups is called 'Osez le feminism' – 'Dare to be a feminist' and French male attitudes do seem chauvinistic compared to the UK.

However, the general tone of today's French media coverage suggests otherwise; the overall verdict appears to be that Strauss-Kahn was unlucky to be caught with his trousers down and should choose his sexual conquests more carefully in future. The fact that he is a married man doesn't even seem to enter into the equation. As for Banon, Strauss-Kahn has said he will sue her for defamation of character and many are speculating whether she will now decide to drop her attempted rape allegation.
Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:10

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