CHILEAN feminist collective Las Tesis has hit out after a court rejected a case brought by the military police who accused it of creating animosity against them with a song that protests against violence against women.

The carabineros had accused the group of “inciting hatred and disobedience against authority” with A Rapist in Your Path, which was first performed on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in November 2019.

Police filed a lawsuit against four members of Las Tesis, claiming to have felt intimidated and fearful of attacks in the wake of the performance outside a police station.

But Judge Ingrid Alveal threw out the case on Monday, saying there was no evidence linking the group and their statements to violence against the police.

In a statement the four women, Paula Cometa, Lea Caceres, Sibila Sotomayor and Dafne Valdes,  said they hoped no artistic group or performer in Chile would face legal proceedings because of their work.

“We also hope that public resources will be invested in fighting against the impunity of sexual abusers, rapists,” they said.

The United Nations had previously called for the charges to be dropped, warning that the prosecution of Las Tesis “could have a chilling effect on women who are standing up for their rights.”

The song has become a global anthem against sexual violence, inspiring millions of women across the world to take a stand against violence, rape and femicide.

Time magazine listed Las Tesis in its top 100 most important figures in 2020.

At least 66,000 women and girls are violently killed each year — the majority by partners, family members or other men known to them — according to statistics compiled by the Small Arms Survey.

The real toll is likely to be much higher as cases go unreported and with a number of countries not recording statistics on femicide.