French Prosecutors Want Trial for Arrested Porn Talent, Producers

PARIS—French prosecutors are pressing for about 17 men to stand trial over crimes allegedly committed in the production of online porn scenes, wire service Agence France-Presse reports. The charges against the men include criminal rape, gang rape, organized human trafficking and aggravated pimping. A set of filings reviewed by the wire service indicates that these accusations relate to the now-taken-down French Bukkake web platform. According to state-owned radio broadcaster Radio France Internationale, initial arrests were made in September 2022 with at least three people being “ensnared” in a wider criminal probe into systematic human trafficking. The probe was launched in October 2022, reports Radio France Internationale. At least 12 men already face prosecution and potential prison time in the case against the website, which billed itself as “amateur.” Currently, according to the AFP report, most of the people accused are either held in custody awaiting trial or are out on supervised release. The owner of French Bukkake, performer and producer Pascal OP, and Mat Hadix were also in reports indicating arrests tied to the case. Over 40 women allege victimization at the hands of the accused. Foundation Des Femmes is one of the central activist groups supporting the victims in the case. On a webpage explaining their activism in this case, the foundation refers to a journalistic investigation conducted by the outlet Le Monde. Nicolas Chapuis, Lorraine de Foucher, and Samuel Laurent—journalists for Le Monde—reported that the French Bukkake affair is emblematic of “a human trafficking network supplying France's porn industry.” All three were given access to text messages shared between defendants giving a clear indication of illegal activity and behavior that isn’t common in the vast majority of studios. In fact, it is reminiscent of the Girls Do Porn criminal case that was heard in the United States. Both cases reveal a criminal enterprise in many ways, as opposed to the regulated and transparent operation of legitimate porn studios. Vice journalist Samantha Cole reported in October 2019 that to the outside world, the Girls Do Porn scandal was a terrible representation of an actual studio or porn imprint operating in a legal manner. Cole spoke to Alison Boden, then-CEO of Kink.com and now the executive director of the Free Speech Coalition. “No legitimate porn company operates the way that Girls Do Porn did,” Boden told Vice at the time. “This isn't an outlier in porn industry operating procedure, it's a series of despicable crimes that were filmed and exploited for profit.” The same could be said of the alleged actions of those in the French Bukkake case.  It is unclear whether the defendents at hand also include French adult brand Jacquie et Michel owner Michel Piron and his wife, who were arrested in June of last year along with three others on similar charges. At the time, Piron's attorney Nicolas Cellupica told AFP, "Michel Piron has always asked to be heard by the investigators and to answer their questions openly. He has always said that he's on the side of the victims if actresses have suffered acts of sexual violence that he was completely unaware of." Cellupica also drew an explicit distinction between the operations of a legitimate porn outfit and the criminal activities being alleged, noting, "Pornography has never been equated with prostitution: a porn actress is not a prostitute and a director or broadcaster is not a pimp."