Italian Court Acquits Man Using a Stopwatch
A 66-year-old school janitor, Antonio Avola, has been acquitted of charges of harassment against a 17-year-old student, according to ABC News. The incident occurred in April 2022 in Rome. According to court documents, during a break, the student and her friend were climbing the stairs when the janitor following behind lifted the girl by slipping his hand behind her jeans and under her underwear. The outraged student managed to break free, but Avola immediately attempted to downplay the escalating situation by saying, "Come on, darling, you know I was just joking."
However, the incident couldn't be ignored, and the victimized student reported it to the police. The Rome prosecutor's office sought to find the man guilty and sentence him to three and a half years of imprisonment. However, in the opinion of the judges, the incident "does not constitute a criminal offense" because the touching lasted less than 10 seconds and, therefore, while inappropriate, was too brief to carry any sexual connotations. The teenager's lawyer, Andrea Buitoni, stated that they would appeal the acquittal, as the Italian legal system allows for such a procedure for both the prosecution and defense.
The court's decision has sparked outrage in Italian society, including on social media, where flash mobs and protest campaigns have emerged. Disgruntled Italians are using the term "palpata breve" (brief touching) sarcastically and the hashtag #10secondi. In videos posted under this hashtag on Instagram and TikTok, protesters look into the camera and, against the backdrop of a stopwatch counting down from 10 seconds, touch their bodies to demonstrate how long such "brief sexual harassment" can actually be.
Paolo Camilli, the star of the movie "White Lotus" and an Italian comedian, was one of the first to share a video on his TikTok account, where he caressed his chest in front of the camera.
"If this isn't harassment, then I don't know what is," Camilli declared.
Later, Camilli was joined by Chiara Ferragni, an Italian fashion blogger, model, and designer, as well as many other famous Italians, including representatives of Italian human rights organizations.