IMF head Strauss-Khan charged with sexual assault, attempted rape and imprisonment of hotel maid in New York

I can barely contain my excitement! The demo was organised by the Hotel Workers Union! A union actually representing women workers in a sexual violence case, not organising 'sex workers'. No coincidence that the woman he attacked had the confidence to report him, even though women in those jobs are vulnerable to harrassment and assault, their union recognises that. In USA, workers are not often unionised; that one is exceptional in having about 75%.

Good for the union.

DSK is so magnetically attractive that clearly women from all backgrounds have only to catch a glimpse and they run up to him, begging, just begging, to be allowed to suck his cock.

After all, there can't be any other explanation for the number of his conquests, can there?

Very impressed by the demo outside. Good for them!

Yes! Astonishingly, they're going for consent. Very original. Many's the time I get down and dirty cleaning other people's shit off the toilet pan to get me hot hot hot for luurrve. Dp only has to see me with a bottle of toilet duck in my hand...Does anyone know how the hotel cleaners demo was organised? Feminists or union? or what?

Looks like he's going for the "she wanted it" defence. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13667064

"Defence lawyer Ben Brafman said outside court after the brief hearing: "It will be clear that there was no element of forcible compulsion in this case whatsoever. "

Molly
It's Barack's restraining hand that speaks volumes!

Gosh. First glance I thought he might have friends in the White House. On closer inspection it would appear that perhaps the opposite is true. Barack looks rather appalled.

The picture that speaks a thousand words is here

www.newyorker.com/talk/2011/05/30/110530ta_talk_gourevitch

Another perspective from Paris; this one published in the New Yorker magazine. Again, the fact that his aggressive, sexual pursuits were common knowledge is sick-making.

It's frightening to realise, probably for the first time, the underhand subtleties employed by the press to influence the public to turn against a victim of crime. Whether they realise it or are justly dumbly regurgitating what they are being fed by DSK's lawyers.

Who exactly is on trial here??

I can think of no crime other than rape where it is the victim that gets torn to bits in court. So very wrong.

That article is a double-whammy, Dittany: bad in how it reports, and reporting something bad. Even the Mail refers to her as a victim

This bit confirms my worst fears: "Indeed, were we intent on improperly feeding the media frenzy we could now release substantial information that in our view would seriously undermine the quality of this prosecution and also gravely undermine the credibility of the complainant in this case," Taylor and Brafman wrote" - their little faux-morality act is a viciously clever little ploy that enables them to smear her without having to commit to any specifics. Horrible horrible people.

I'm writing to complain to the Guardian and am also minded to write to the victim care of her lawyer, saying "I believe you and stand with you". What do people think? Good idea?

Two women file harassment charges against a French Minister One of them spurred on by the Strauss-Khan case.

Of course, he says it's political. French feminists should organise one day where all victims of rape/assault/harassment etc report the crime to their local gendarme.

I was thinking the other day about how protected these men are. Are they really that important? Their role is, of course, but as an individual? I think the thought came after I read about a trader who has taken on 15 apprentices from all walks of life and given them a job, a year, $100k and a set of trading rules in an experiment (partly) to see if the star trader thing is real.

My biggest worry is that his lawyers will almost certainly decide attack is the best form of defense and attack her immigration status, her sexual history, her work ethic, her relationship with her now dead husband, her competence as a mother etc etc. Whatever the outcome of the trial, all of that will happen to her anyway. A continuation of his previous assault.

Yes, now you mention it I do remember reading that she is Muslim.

I suppose we just have to hope that there are reasonable human beings on the jury.

Of course scumbag has the wealth to pay lawyers an absolute fortune to pick over every detail.

I have a bad feeling about this. I really do.

I think I read that the woman has been in the US for seven years so she may be a citizen. I have also read that she is muslim - surely this could make the 'she wanted it' argument harder to make for cultural reasons of modesty, etc?

I wonder if they are going to claim that he understood that she offered sex for money.

Actually she may well be an American citizen as she's been in the country for a while. Still not white and middle-class though. Perhaps racism isn't an issue in New York courts.

Let's hope the fact that she is a west African immigrant and not an American citizen doesn't influence the jury.

Poor women is going to be put through hell if that horrible man is going to argue consent. God, I hope he doesn't get away with it.

I am worried about it TBH.

I fully, 100% believe the woman concerned, I do not doubt for a minute or a second her version of events.

I think DSK is a sexual predator and I believe him to be a rapist.

I'm still worried though. I just hope that we are going to witness some real justice. I'm not holding my breath though.

I think the only real hope is that the USA is going to see this as a political/justice/you don't fuck with American values matter.

I can't wait for his defence team to try to sell the 'it was consensual' line.