A feminist activist who also serves as a university instructor described a French woman’s account of being threatened with rape while holding her infant as “collateral damage” of a revolution she supports,. The video was filmed the day after widespread unrest in France.
The exchange, recorded by the online media outlet Brut on Oct. 18 at Place de la République in Paris, shows a young mother confronting adjunct professor Bettina Zourli. The mother said looters who had tried to pillage a nearby shop called her a “dirty bourgeois,” attempted to force their way into her apartment, and threatened to rape her while she was with her infant.
“With my infant in an apartment I was driven out of because I was told they were going to rape me,” said the woman.
A French woman was threatened with rape while holding her child in her arms.
She said the suspects were the same rioters the left claims are “student” protesters.
The debate took a truly heinous turn when feminist activist and adjunct instructor Bettina Zourli claimed this was simply “collateral damage.” She stated that the revolution will be violent and that she supports this revolution.
Bettina Zourli has a master’s degree in gender studies, performs research on reproductive rights and gender, and describes herself on her Instagram profile as “childfree and Antifa.”
Zourli has lectured at major universities, such as the University of Lille, and currently serves as an instructor at the University of Rennes.
The University of Rennes has now publicly distanced itself, saying the university refuses all forms of violence and that her remarks do not reflect its position.
Source: @ImtiazMadmood
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 20, 2026Zourli responded that the episode of was “collateral damage,” stated that “a revolution does not arrive calmly,” and said she supports the revolution. She also described property damage, including attacks on banks, as normal.
The video, which has circulated widely on social media, has drawn sharp criticism. Zourli later wrote that she condemns men who threaten women with rape and that the clip captured a discussion about not diverting attention from what she called the “initial violence.” She said she supports the broader movement and a “diversity of tactics.”
Zourli holds a master’s degree in gender studies, has written books on voluntary childlessness, gender norms and reproductive rights, and describes herself on Instagram as “feminist, childfree and Antifa.” She has lectured at the University of Lille and serves as an adjunct instructor in sociology of gender at Université Rennes 2. She does not hold a doctorate and is not a permanent faculty member.
Université Rennes 2 said in a statement that it “has always resolutely affirmed its refusal of all forms of violence” and that Zourli’s remarks “in no way reflect the position of the university” and are “totally contrary to the values of our establishment.”
The confrontation occurred the day after Oct. 17 protests over the cost of living and school conditions that drew hundreds of thousands of people nationwide and sparked violent protests. One one day alone, authorities reported roughly 1,200 to 1,800 arrests, widespread looting of shops, arson and clashes with police in Paris and other cities. Ongoing high-school blockades over teacher shortages and classroom conditions are now threatening to continue next week on Oct. 24 and another one on Oct. 31.
