A viral video capturing a shocking scene of violent harassment outside of a Paris cafe has sparked outrage across France, the Guardian reports. CCTV footage appears to show 22-year-old Marie Laguerre in a red dress crossing paths with a bearded man in a black T-shirt outside of a cafe. He says something to her, and she turns her head and replies. Both continue walking in opposite directions. A few seconds later, the man picks up an ashtray from an empty table at the cafe and hurls it in her direction. She is no longer in view. The man then walks back towards the woman, who moves back into the frame, and strikes her across the face so hard she loses her footing and hits the glass fencing around the cafe terrace. Shock and confusion grip customers at the cafe, one of whom grabs a chair, before the attacker walks off. The video has gone viral since Laguerre, an architecture student, posted the footage on Facebook, and has given new momentum to the country’s effort to outlaw public sexual harassment. According to Laguerre, the man “made dirty noises, comments and whistled” when the two passed each other, which Laguerre responded with “Ta gueule,” or “shut up,” the Guardian reports. “I didn’t even think he heard me,” Laguerre told Le Parisien. “But he had heard me and suddenly things happened suddenly. He grabbed an ashtray and threw it at me. It missed my head by a few centimeters.” “I felt hatred. I refused to be demeaned, it was humiliating,” she added. The incident is being investigated, but the attacker has yet to be identified. French equalities minister, Marlène Schiappa, said she was “outraged … but not surprised, unfortunately” by the assault, according to the Guardian. “The political response must be strong and it is, because for the first time in France we will fine those responsible for street harassment,” Schiappa added. Schiappa helped propose a new bill in March that would charge immediate fines of up to $920 for public sexual harassment. Backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the bill would charge sexual offenders on the spot for public behavior like “degrading or humiliating comments” or “sexual or sexist” actions towards someone. “I was so annoyed I didn’t want to hide, to look down. That he dared to be angry when it was me who had reason to be angry,” Laguerre told journalists. “I turned to him and everything went extremely fast, but then I knew he was going to hit me. I was even ready to fight. When the blow came, I took it without showing any emotion. He continued to scream.” Laguerre also posted the video on YouTube, where she wrote in French, “This is unacceptable behavior. It happens everyday. These men think they can do anything in the street, who think they are allowed to humiliate us and who don’t like it when we are offended. It’s unacceptable.” “I am sick of feeling unsafe walking in the street. Things need to change, and they need to change now.” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Contact us at letters@time.com.<doc-sep>Paris (CNN) A man has been caught on video forcefully slapping a woman after he allegedly sexually harassed her on the streets of Paris. The man is seen walking by a streetside cafe when he picks up an ashtray from a table and throws it over customers' heads in the woman's direction. He then comes face to face with her, waving his hands, before striking a blow and turning around to walk away. The woman, Marie Laguerre, posted CCTV footage of the incident on her Facebook account, saying that she was on her way home on Tuesday last week when the man started whistling and making noises at her, and said "dirty words that were humiliating and provocative as I passed by him." "Bad luck, he was not the first one that day and I was tired. So I said 'shut up' as I walked away," she wrote. "Because I do not tolerate this kind of behavior. I cannot shut up and we must not shut up." She described how the man threw the ashtray at her and started following her. Read More<doc-sep>"I know he's going to hit me. I could have run off but there was no question of that. I wasn't going to look down and certainly wasn't going to apologise," she said. He hit her forcefully on the cheek and continued shouting at her.<doc-sep>A video of a woman being struck in the face by a stranger outside a Paris cafe has sparked nationwide outrage in France amid a government crackdown on sexual harassment. Key points: Student Marie Laguerre is calling for more action against sexual harassment after footage of her attack went viral Student Marie Laguerre is calling for more action against sexual harassment after footage of her attack went viral France has moved to introduce on-the-spot fines for sexual harassment France has moved to introduce on-the-spot fines for sexual harassment The first fines are expected to be handed out in September The video, posted to Facebook by student Marie Laguerre, shows her walking past a restaurant in Paris's north-east. Walking briskly behind her is a bearded man in a black T-shirt with his jacket slung over one shoulder. Ms Laguerre said the man made "dirty noises/comments/whistles" and spoke to her "in a provocative way" as she passed him. "I felt hatred," Ms Laguerre told Le Parisien. "I refused to be demeaned, it was humiliating. I refused to look down, I looked him right in the eyes, I was not going to apologise." Ms Laguerre shared CCTV footage obtained from the cafe on her Facebook page. ( Facebook: Marie Laguerre CCTV footage shows Ms Laguerre then shouting something at the man, who appears to throw an ashtray from afar. "I let out a, 'Shut up!' while making my way," she wrote on Facebook. "Because I do not tolerate this type of behaviour. "I cannot keep silent and we must not be silent." The man then approaches her and without warning hits her in the head, shocking patrons on the cafe's patio. Ms Laguerre said the brazen attack left her with swelling in her cheeks. Marie Laguerre said the attack left her with swelling around the cheek bones. ( Facebook: Marie Laguerre "I was in pain, but it happened in a few seconds so I did not realise it right away," she said. The 22-year-old student has now called for a clampdown on sexual harassment after footage of the attack went viral. According to France 24, the Paris public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation after Ms Laguerre lodged a complaint. 'It has to be stopped from the beginning': Equalities Minister The footage has bolstered the French Government's crackdown on sexual harassment. In March, the Government announced sexual harassment on French streets or in public transport will be punished by an on-the-spot fine of 90 euros ($140). The first fines are expected to be handed out in September, according to Equalities Minister Marlene Schiappa, who said she was outraged by the attack on Ms Laguerre. "The video illustrates the continuum of gender and sexual violence," Ms Schiappa told France's 24-hour news channel, BFM. "It starts with obscene noises, then cries and then insults and threats and then a blow. "It has to be stopped from the beginning, that is why we are voting on the verbalisation of street harassment." Ms Schiappa also said more than 1 million euros had been allocated for action against gender-based violence in the workplace. "This issue is serious [it is about] the freedom of women to circulate freely in the public space," she said. The fines have resonated among French women as the #MeToo movement and its French equivalent #BalanceTonPorc ("rat on your pig") have gathered pace. Ms Laguerre wrote on her Facebook page: "This is not the only incident. Harassment is everyday. "To those men who think anything goes in the street, who allow themselves to humiliate us and who can not stand being offended, it is unacceptable. "It is time for this kind of behaviour to STOP. #AllWomenTogether."<doc-sep>
A French woman who reprimanded a man who harassed her in the street was hit hard in the face by him, and the incident has gone viral as the nation prepares to introduce fines for street harassment. Marie Laguerre, a 22-year-old architecture student, posted surveillance footage of the assault last week near a café in Paris on Facebook. In the footage, Laguerre walks past the café – where a number of people were seated at outside tables – and appears to exchange words with a man who passes her. The angry man then walks back toward her before slapping her hard and walking off in front of the shocked bystanders. Laguerre told French media the man "made dirty noises, comments and whistled" at her, and she told him to shut up. The man then threw an ashtray from a table at the café at Laguerre, but missed. "It wasn't the first time – that day, that week or that month, It had been building up. I got angry and said 'shut up'. I didn't think he'd hear, but he did," she said. "I felt hatred, I refused to be demeaned, it was humiliating," she added. "I refused to look down, I looked him right in the eyes, I was not going to apologize." Laguerre said she suffered swelling because of the assault. Prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the incident, but the man has yet to be found. The café manager gave Laguerre the surveillance footage. "I can't keep quiet, and we mustn't stay silent," Laguerre wrote on Facebook. "This is not the only incident. Harassment is everyday. To those men who think anything goes in the street, who allow themselves to humiliate us and who can not stand being offended, it is unacceptable. It is time for this kind of behavior to STOP. #AllWomenTogether." The incident comes as #BalanceTonPorc (out your pig), the French equivalent of #MeToo, remains a talking point as women have increasingly complained about sexual abuse to authorities. Prominent politicians are among the many French who have voiced their support for Laguerre. “Total solidarity! Thank you Marie Laguerre for your courage! Stop harassment!” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in response to a tweet by Laguerre. France is preparing to introduce laws against sexual harassment and tougher penalties for more serious sexual offenses. Equalities Minister Marlène Schiappa said the first fines – a minimum of $105 – for harassment are expected to be handed out in the fall after the bill is adopted this week. "The political response must be strong and it is, because, for the first time in France, we will fine those responsible for street harassment," she said. More: Why the French are balking at the #MeToo movement More: French bill puts 15 as age of consent for sex, includes on-the-spot fines for harassment Related: French women go after sexual abusers with 'out your pig' campaign