In the words of the last Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, “this is a thunderbolt”.
Whatever the merits of this new evidence, whatever the character of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the French felt particularly aggrieved at the way the case was conducted in the days after his arrest.
It was not only his reputation that was tarnished, but also that of the French nation in the eyes of the international community.
The “perp walk”, the parading of the accused, the headlines such as “Chez Perv” and “Frog Legs It”, were widely perceived as insulting and humiliating.
