Gisèle Pelicot, victim of a series of rapes orchestrated by her ex-husband, is the most notable personality of the year 2024. She is ahead of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
A survey carried out by Odoxa for Public Senate and twenty regional press titles ranks Gisèle Pelicot as the most notable personality of 2024. The 72-year-old woman is the victim of the so-called Mazan rape trial, during which 51 men were accused of having raped her while she was in a state of chemical submission, all organized by her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot.
It is not so much the extraordinary trial which marked the French in this poll, since it only comes in sixth position among the notable events of the year, with in first place the political instability caused by the dissolution of the National Assembly. It is therefore the personality of Gisèle Pelicot which left its mark. In France and internationally, her desire to refuse closed doors in this trial so that “shame changes sides” and her dignity in the face of the videos that were broadcast during the trial have made her an icon of the struggle. against violence against women. Today it is common to hear “Thank you Gisèle!” during feminist demonstrations, and paintings of Gisèle Pelicot, wearing her dark glasses at the start of the trial, were made in several large metropolises. She even made the cover of the German edition of Vogue in November.
Gisèle Pelicot before Trump and Zelensky
The courage of this woman has been widely praised and acclaimed, to the point that it is she who has had the greatest impact on the French this year, ahead of Donald Trump, the re-elected president of the United States who led a very successful campaign in France and during which he was the victim of an assassination attempt. She also places herself ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky, the hero of the year who still holds his own against Russia. Among the notable figures, we also include Russian President Vladimir Putin (15%), French President Emmanuel Macron (14%), billionaire Elon Musk (14%), Israeli head of state Benjamin Netanyahu (10%), US President Joe Biden (6%) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (3%).