“Customers will not be able to say that they have not been warned. “It must be said that it is difficult not to see the bright red tag affixed in front of the entrance to a massage parlor on rue Brunel in the 17th arrondissement of Paris “How much is it? €1,500 fine. »
This Wednesday evening, around twenty activists in favor of the abolition of prostitution walked the streets of the 17th arrondissement to post this message in front of the 49 massage parlors in the borough which, according to them, actually house a place of prostitution.
“Just ask for the second rate”
“Customers know very well what they come to find there. Sexual “finishes”. Just ask for, in general, an extra 10 to 20 euros, explains Christian* spray paint and stencil in hand, which is why we remind them that it is illegal and the penalty they incur. »
Christian* is a member of ZéroMacho, a collective of feminist men whose main battleground is the abolition of prostitution. Fred Norbert, spokesperson for the association explains this fight: “As a man, we don’t want to speak on behalf of women. On the other hand, we can speak of the clients of prostitution, 99.9% of whom are men, who are the driving force behind this prostitution. »
Also ZéroMacho has been targeting for several years these massage parlors, “mostly Asian” which have a storefront and “which even advertise” to offer an illegal activity. The association has identified 341 in Paris, by questioning local residents but above all by entering it: “Just ask for the ”second rate” and you are set. »
341 prostitution parlors listed in Paris, 49 in the 17th arrondissement
And why target the 17th arrondissement for this demonstration? “Most of these salons are in “bourges” neighborhoods, explains Christian, generally in side streets so that it remains discreet. And the 17th is the one with the most. One more symbol for the association which chose this Wednesday evening, seven years to the day after the promulgation of the Olivier-Coutelle law, promulgated on April 13, 2016, which penalizes customers rather than sex workers.
For the first time, this action was organized jointly with activists from Amazones Paris, a group of feminists who declare themselves to be “radicals”. Pauline accompanies Christian on the excursion: “These salons are the encounter with macho, sexist and racist oppression. For the young 23-year-old woman, if these salons continue to live with impunity, it is also because they exploit Asian women, “for 85% of Chinese women” who came to France in extremely precarious conditions. “People of little interest to the authorities. »
Press on customer shame
“It is commonly accepted that women’s bodies belong to everyone, even more so to women who find themselves in these situations. We see it on the forums of customers who talk about it like we talk about a commodity. However, Pauline recognizes that there is always a shame among the customers of prostitution, and it is on this spring that the two associations want to support by displaying the salons and their customers.
If the twenty or so activists managed to crisscross the entire borough on Wednesday, the two associations do not intend to stop there and plan to organize a new operation on June 17, this time in full light and in collaboration with the town hall. of the 17th arrondissement and the Federation of masseurs, also a victim of customers who confuse the two activities: “Real massages, carried out by professionals will be offered to passers-by. To show them the difference with prostitution,” emphasizes Fred Norbert.