Protests as sex pest law scrapped

FEMINISTS have protested outside the Conseil Constitutionnel buildings in Paris in anger at the scrapping of the sexual harassment law.

The Conseil, France's top constitutional body, struck out the law with immediate effect, saying it was too vague, and charged parliament with defining the crime more clearly.

Its decision comes after an appeal by a former MP who was convicted under the law. He said it allowed too much room for interpretation.

Marilyn Baldeck, spokeswoman for pressure group AVFT, which campaigns against “violence against women at work”, said: “In deciding to repeal the law without using its option to put off the effect, the conseil has made a political choice which must be considered an affront to women’s rights”.

Libération reported that protestors made comments like “this repeal is a real hunting permit” and “people talk about the ‘wise men’ of the conseil; what’s wise about them, apart from their title?” and “Everything’s lost; my harasser is gloating today”.