French Man Fined as Part of Controversial Sexual Harassment Law

A man has been fined 300-euro (US$ 350), the first perpetrator to suffer France’s new law against sexual aggression after a woman reported an incident of sexual assault in a subway.

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According to testimony, the intoxicated man, 31, boarded the bus in Draveil, Essonne and slapped the young woman’s posterior before proceeding to make sexually inappropriate comments.

The interaction became aggressive and required the bus driver to restrain the gentleman as they awaited police to arrive.

The new legislation, which was passed in early August, allows for fines of as much as 750 euros (US$ 920) to be imposed on perpetrators at the scene. They could reach 1,500 euros (US$1,800) in the case of aggravating circumstances and 3,000 euros (US$3600) for repeat offenders. However, this new legislation has brought considerable criticism to the front.

While some critics worried over the possible loss of the “French lover” culture by punishing men for expressing affection for women in a variety of whistles, comments, and other forms of allegedly innocent manners of pursuit, others offered more serious concerns.

They cautioned that increasing police authority in a country that struggles with racism may only cause further discrimination towards men of color and minorities while offering further justification for police brutality.

According to  Gender Equality Minister, Marlene Schiappa street harassment would cover situations such as asking a woman for her phone number a dozen times when she has made clear she is not interested.

The bill will also introduce tougher sanctions for group harassment online and reclassified the age of consent to 15 years.