French activist apologises after calling a rape threat collateral damage

Footage of French activist Bettina Zourli describing a rape threat against a woman as “collateral damage” has prompted widespread criticism. The woman said she was at home with her child when a protester threatened her after she tried to stop looting at a shop below; Zourli’s response has drawn condemnation from political figures and social media users.

Zourli later apologised for the comment, saying rape is unjustifiable and that she did not mean to minimise the threat. She argued that it was unrelated to the protest movement, while also defending vandalism and material sabotage as forms of protest. The article says more than 500,000 people took part in demonstrations the previous weekend, during which 3,000 shops were ransacked and nearly 1,000 police officers injured; Zourli said she had received thousands of threats after the footage spread.