A series of protests over sexual consent have been taking place in Ireland, a week after a man was acquitted of raping a 17-year-old.
In the trial, the defence lawyer told the jury: “You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front.”
The 27-year-old man was found not guilty of rape shortly afterwards.
The controversy led one Irish MP to hold up a lace thong in parliament to highlight “routine victim-blaming”.
Ruth Coppinger produced the blue lacy underwear in the Dáil (Irish parliament) from her sleeve on Tuesday.
“It might seem embarrassing to show a pair of thongs here… how do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court?”
… The day after publication of that court report, the head of Dublin’s Rape Crisis Centre criticised the barrister’s remarks.
Although she did not question the verdict, she called for reform of a legal system in which she said such suggestions were frequently made.Amid increasing media attention, Irish social media users expressed outrage at the remarks in court.
Under the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent, Irish women posted photographs of their underwear in all shapes, colours, and materials to protest the use of such techniques in court.
Outcry over teen’s underwear in rape trial
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