These Women Organised A Protest & Chanted Outside Of Harvey Weinstein’s Trial
MEKITA RIVAS 11 JANUARY 2020

CHILEAN WOMEN PROTEST RAPE CULTURE

Legal proceedings against Harvey Weinstein are now underway, and one group of women wanted to make it clear precisely what the disgraced film producer is standing trial for. On Friday, donning all black, protestors showed up at the New York City courthouse where Weinstein’s long-awaited criminal trial is taking place.

“It’s not my fault — not where I was, not how I dress,” the women chanted, as seen in video captured by Refinery29. “The rapist is you,” was another rallying cry.

The flash mob was inspired by feminist Chilean group LasTesis and was intended to show support for and allyship with the women who have come forward against Weinstein, in addition to the millions of sexual assault survivors across the world.

Based out of Valparaíso, Chile, LasTesis wrote the song “Un Violador en Tu Camino (A Rapist in Your Path)” that quickly became a protest song for anti-sexual assault demonstrations everywhere, from New York City to Mexico to France.

Weinstein faces five counts of predatory sexual assault, criminal sex acts, and rape. He could potentially receive a life sentence if convicted of the predatory sexual assault charges. It’s also legally significant because the prosecution would be able to establish a history of predatory behavior that goes beyond the two women in this specific case.

Before the trial began, prosecutors introduced a motion in a closed proceeding to include the testimony of three unnamed women who have accused Weinstein, which would be in addition to the two women named in the indictment.

That was a critical development because while the most recent count of Weinstein’s accusers totals more than 80, a majority of those claims fall outside the statute of limitations.

Several women have chosen to sue Weinstein in civil courts to possibly reach a settlement and to avoid the media scrutiny that tends to come from these high-profile criminal cases. In addition to the charges in New York, Weinstein is currently facing multiple sex crimes charges in Los Angeles.

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Women staged a flash protest outside the courthouse where Harvey Weinstein is being tried

By Ryan Prior, CNN "It's not my fault — not where I was, not how I dress," a female flash mob chanted outside a Manhattan criminal court on Friday.

Friday, January 10th 2020, 7:50 PM EST

By Ryan Prior, CNN

"It's not my fault — not where I was, not how I dress," a female flash mob chanted outside a Manhattan criminal court on Friday.

Inspired by protests against sexual violence that emerged last year in Chile, dozens of women, clad in black with glints of red, gathered outside the courthouse where former film producer Harvey Weinstein is being tried for allegedly raping a woman in 2013 and sexually assaulting another woman in 2006.

"And the rapist is you!" they chanted, before going on to point fingers at police, courts, judges and President Donald Trump for contributing to a culture in which sexual assault survivors feel their voices are don't matter.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to two counts of predatory sexual assault, two counts of rape and one count of a criminal sexual act. The trial is still in the jury selection phase.

'Un Violador en Tu Camino'

Friday's demonstration in New York was inspired by a Chilean protest chant that went viral around the world.

In Spanish, the chant is titled "Un Violador en Tu Camino," which translates to "A Rapist in Your Path."

Lastesis, an all-female art collective from Valparaso, Chile, posted videos on its Instagram page of massive groups of women chanting the protest anthem on Chilean streets in late November and early December.

When hundreds of women performed the chant in the streets of the Chilean capital of Santiago, it caught the eye of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who tweeted in solidarity with the protesters.

At the New York courthouse on Friday, in choreographed motion to a driving drum beat, the women chanted in both English and Spanish.

Patriarchy is our judge that imprisons us at our birth

And our punishment is the violence you don't see

They repurposed the Chilean chant for an American audience, protesting the man whose alleged transgressions helped launch the #MeToo movement and an international reckoning about issues related to sexual assault.

"We're at this location today because it's very symbolic of everything that's happening in our justice system," said one of the protesters in a video interview obtained by CNN.

She goes on to say that "Harvey Weinstein and what he represents is so indicative of powerful men who feel like they can do anything that they want."

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