Why Italians are groping themselves in unusual protest videos

The videos are usually shared with the hashtag #10secondi

Italians are sharing videos that show them groping themselves to protest a judge’s controversial ruling that unwanted touching which lasts less than 10 seconds is not sexual assault. The judge sparked outrage after acquitting a school caretaker of sexual assault charges because he only groped a schoolgirl for a handful of seconds, The Guardian reported. The judge ruled that what happened to the girl did “not constitute a crime” as it lasted less than 10 seconds.

The caretaker was cleared of all charges even though he admitted to groping the 17-year-old student as she walked up the stairs in April 2022. He argued that he had only been “joking” when he pulled her pants down, groped her and lifted her underwear up.

“Love, you know I was joking,” the 66-year-old caretaker, Antonio Avola, told the schoolgirl at the time. Avola admitted to the incident in court but insisted that he was only joking.

His acquittal led to shock and outrage in Italy, where men and women are now protesting the ruling with videos that show them groping themselves. The videos typically have a timer superimposed on top that runs out at 10 seconds. In some videos, a friend or partner is seen groping a person as the timer runs out.

White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli was the first to post such a video, and the trend pick up from there.

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A post shared by paolo camilli (@paolocamilli)

The unsettling videos are being shared with the hashtag #10secondi or “palpata breve” — Italian for “a brief groping”, according to The New York Post. Hundreds of such videos have flooded social media.

The aim of this unusual protest is two-fold – one to protest the controversial ruling and second to draw attention to the fact that sexual assault can last only 10 seconds and still be distressing for its victims.