Germaine Greer spoke about her own rape and why she didn’t report it to police (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

Germaine Greer has sparked anger after she said that rapists should be given an ‘R’ tattoo on their cheek instead of being jailed in a speech at the Hay Literary Festival.

Greer, who was raped at a party days before she turned 19, said that most rape was actually just ‘bad sex’ and ‘don’t involve any injury whatsoever’.

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She told an audience: ‘We are told it’s one of the most violent crimes in the world – bullshit’.

She added: ‘Most rape is just lazy, just careless, just insensitive.


‘Every time a man rolls over on his exhausted wife and insists on enjoying his conjugal right, he is raping her. It will never end up in a court of law.



‘Instead of thinking of rape as a spectacularly violent crime – and some rapes are – think about it as non-consensual, that is, bad sex.

Germaine Greer is known for her controversial views and has caused outrage in the past (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

‘Sex where there is no communication, no tenderness, no mention of love.’

Her comments caused some people to walk out of the festival in anger. Sherry Pack said: ‘Dreadful ramblings by Germaine Greer… I’m usually happy to listen to opinions different to my own but today after around 20 minutes I had to walk out.’

Greer was asked what she thought an appropriate sentence for rape would be.

‘Two hundred hours of community service would do me,’ She said. ‘I have suggested maybe a little tattoo would be a good thing, maybe an R on your hand. I’d prefer it on the cheek really.’

Speaking about her own attack she said: ‘I was beaten half unconscious. I kept saying “no” so he hit me. I can’t tell you how many times, maybe a dozen.’

However she did not report the rape saying that it would have been a waste of police time and she would have been discredited.

She said that some rapes that are reported are actually just ‘bad sex’ (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

Katie Russell from Rape Crisis said: ‘If penetrating another person’s body without their consent is not an act of violence, what is?

‘Rape is an inherently violent crime, regardless of whether visible external injuries are sustained.

‘Through our 40+ years’ frontline experience of listening to and supporting women and girls who’ve been raped, we know it often has long-lasting and wide-ranging impacts, including post-traumatic stress symptoms and disorder.

‘Many of those we work with don’t identify as victims or “rapees” but as survivors, of an horrific and unjust experience but one that they choose not to let define them.

‘But they have undoubtedly been victims of a very serious crime and we use each individual’s preferred language to talk about what they’ve been through.

‘Regardless of how those who’ve been raped identify, we listen to, believe, support and respect them.

‘The criminal justice system already routinely lets them down. Reducing sentences or declassifying crimes would do nothing to improve justice or reduce sexual violence.’

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In March this year, Greer was accused of victim-blaming after calling alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein ‘career rapees’.

She also said the #MeToo movement had not been effective: ‘I don’t actually think it’s gone too far, I don’t think its got anywhere at all. What we need is to sort out the law regarding rape and to sort out our concept of what it is.



‘It’s pointless now bringing up this stuff when most of it no action can be taken. Why wait 20 years?’

Germaine Greer's controversial statements Other statements made during her Today programme appearance: Allegations ‘wreck lives’: ‘The amount of legal muscle that will be used to defend these people is massive and I’m concerned for damage limitation rather than maximasation. ‘Rather than wrecking people’s lives, so they become career rapees.’ Non-disclosure agreements: ‘Some [alleged victims] have been paid six figure sums in the form of non-disclosure agreements. ‘That’s a dishonorable thing to accept and it’s not something you should boast about.’ #MeToo doesn’t work: ‘I don’t actually think it’s gone too far, I don’t think its got anywhere at all. ‘What we need is to sort out the law regarding rape and to sort out our concept of what it is.’ Historic allegations ‘pointless’: ‘It’s pointless now bringing up this stuff when most of it no action can be taken. ‘Why wait 20 years?’ What she would have done: ‘I wouldn’t have been sitting around being quiet and keeping a secret.’