Juliette Binoche, Andrea Bescon (“Little Tickles”), Sabrina Van Tassel (“Texas vs. Melissa”), Charlotte Le Bon (“The White Lotus”), Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu (“Emily in Paris”) and Judith Godreche (“Mémoires de Filles”) are among a growing number of French entertainment figures supporting the new grassroots movement. The case, which began with the murder of 11-year-old Rihanna, has shocked France, received extensive media coverage and garnered bipartisan political support.
The movement arose after Rihanna’s kidnapping and murder in late May and intensified as the suspect’s background was revealed. Jerome Barella, who is currently facing charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment, had been repeatedly reported to authorities since 2017 over his relationship with a 17-year-old girl. In 2022, a rape complaint against a minor was closed without any action taken. According to Le Monde newspaper, another rape incident occurred in August 2025. Although these three previous proceedings were recorded, he was never questioned. The shortcomings have outraged families, feminist groups and celebrities, who are calling for comprehensive legislation to protect women and children.
The case comes less than two years after the Gisèle Pericot case, which dominated international headlines and was a defining moment in France’s reckoning with sexual violence. And it comes as Paris faces scandals of its own. More than 100 nurseries, primary schools and day care centers across Paris are under investigation for alleged physical and sexual abuse by non-teaching staff, including the rape of children as young as three years old. Paris prosecutor Laure Becuau said the attacks affected 84 kindergartens, about 20 elementary schools and about 10 nursery schools. Since the beginning of 2026, the city has suspended 78 school inspectors, 31 of them for sexual abuse allegations. As part of the crisis, the approximately 15,000 animators employed by the city of Paris to supervise children outside the classroom are under scrutiny.
Protests gained momentum for the second consecutive day on Monday. According to the Interior Ministry, on June 8, around 60,000 people demonstrated at 216 meeting points across France. In Paris, more than 1,000 people gathered despite a ban after the rally was moved from Place Vendôme to the Court of Appeal at the last minute. A week later, on June 15, more than 1,000 demonstrators (about two-thirds of them women) gathered again outside the Ministry of Justice, hundreds more in Bordeaux and Toulouse, and about 200 in Lille. Organizers have pledged to participate every Monday and are planning a huge march in Paris on July 4th.
Bescon, along with Anna Mouglalis, Van Tassel, Godreche, Le Bon, Alexandra Lamy (No Second Chances), Judith Kemra (Me Frères et Moi), Agathe Riedinger (Wild Diamonds), and Céline Salette (Niki) are among those who directly participated in the Paris demonstrations.
On social media, Binoche, Leroy-Beaulieu and Alex Lutz amplified the movement through the hashtags #JeSuisLyhanna and #JeSuisAuTribunal. Binoche shared a photo of herself as a child alongside a photo of Rihanna and wrote: “France is not protecting girls. I am thinking of the mothers who brought the charges, the girls who suffered, and the young daughter of this man who stole and ruined the lives of so many people. Government officials, open your eyes!” She argued that public authorities and institutions must be held accountable when warning signs are ignored, and called for collective action to better protect children.
Bescon, a filmmaker, actress and activist, became a leading voice against child sexual abuse after co-directing and starring in the award-winning Little Tickles (Chateuil), based on her own autobiographical stage play as a child abuse survivor, and has also used social media to advocate for new laws. She particularly took issue with comments by French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin who advocated life sentences for child sex offenders. “We want a paradigm shift, not reactionary measures,” she wrote. Bescondo told Darmanin that “every study shows that life sentences do not reduce the number of assaults.”
The so-called “loi intégrale” is intended as a single framework law to tackle gender-based sexual violence against women and children, and calls for structural reforms to the justice system and the creation of specialized courts. Mandatory training for police and judges. Priority processing of complaints regarding minors. Prevention and education starting from an early age. Strengthening protection for child victims. Psychological trauma care. and countermeasures against cyber violence.
The draft bill was co-signed by 114 MPs across eight political groups and was submitted to Parliament on 2 December 2025. The bill has been on the parliamentary agenda for the past six months and is expected to be debated in the fall. Meanwhile, the #JeSuisLyhanna movement has launched plans for a national strike for September 7, calling on victims of violence and their supporters to refrain from work and keep their children out of school while they take part in peaceful demonstrations.
