Italians outraged as janitor cleared of groping girl because it was ‘just’ 10 seconds
- Thousands of social media users have posted videos of themselves touching intimate body parts to show how long a ‘short grope’ can be
- The victim says the man put his hands in her underwear and lifted her in the air, while the janitor says it was a joke and the accusation will ‘ruin my life’
An Italian court has sparked widespread outrage after clearing a janitor who groped a girl on the grounds that he did it for “just a few seconds” and without “libidinous or lusty intent”.
According to court documents, the girl said the man came behind her, put his hands in her underwear, and slightly lifted her in the air as she pulled up her trousers after walking up a staircase with a friend.
The verdict has triggered an online protest, with thousands of social media users posting videos of themselves touching intimate body parts with the hashtag #10seconds to show how long a “palpata breve” (short grope) can be.
A stopwatch runs for 10 seconds while people look into the camera and they or someone else touches intimate areas of their bodies.
The online campaign was started earlier this week by comedian and White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli, who said, fondling his chest in front of the camera: “If this is not harassment, what is?”
His post was followed by one from influencer Chiara Ferragni.