A council meeting interruption serves as a flashpoint in France’s #MeToo movement December 2020

In France, tensions reached new heights during a council meeting in July when newly elected councilor Alice Coffin loudly denounced a standing ovation for Christophe Girard, Deputy Mayor of Paris and long-time power broker among France’s elite. At the meeting, Chief of Paris Police, Didier Lallement, made a statement commending Girard’s response to being thrust into the spotlight earlier this year, saying that he had displayed “a great lesson of dignity.” In response, almost the entire council rose to its feet in applause. In a video posted to Twitter, Coffin and a coalition of younger female politicians remained seated and yelled “shame” at the public display of support. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, looked on disapprovingly. 

The controversy lies in accusations that Girard is a supporter and friend of the literary celebrity, Gabriel Matzneff. Both men have been accused of sexually abusing minors. Councilors Coffin and Raphaëlle Rémy-Leleu have led the charge in demanding that Girard be removed from politics and have his voting rights stripped. Girard denied all accusations and declared that the “rise of cancel culture” in France is a “new McCarthyism.” Public demonstrations against Girard and other French officials accused of sexual abuse continued through the summer and fall. Protestors also condemned the nomination of Gerald Darmanin as France’s new Interior Minister and Head of National Police. As activist Caroline De Haas noted, Darmanin is “the target of a rape complaint, and he’s the head of the police—how can that be?”

The hesitancy and outright disdain for Coffin and the coalition of younger feminists in France displays the nation’s lacklustre response to the global #MeToo movement, founded by American activist Tarana Burke. In France, an older generation of feminists view their younger counterparts as overly influenced by an American brand of feminism which is unbefitting of French culture and politics. Renowned feminist thinker Michelle Perrot stated that the newer wave’s focus on public accusations is “an excess that can only harm the cause of women.” Meanwhile, Mayor Hidalgo strongly supported Girard, asking “what kind of democracy do we live in, since law is trampled by rumors, confusion and suspicion?” 

The conflict exemplifies how feminism as a global and political ideology remains at a crossroads. Unlike first and second wave feminists who lobbied for admission into decision making bodies, vocal third wave feminists can achieve high accolades and power within many government institutions across the world. Yet the simple election of women and self-identifying feminists into positions of power has not solved abuses of power or the lack of accountability surrounding these breaches. Moreover, the structural disenfranchisement of those who are sexually assaulted also persists. Fissures within feminism as a movement are more apparent with its incorporation into institutions. 

While Mayor Hidalgo can promise a transformation of Paris into a feminist capital and President Emmanuel Macron can pledge to eliminate violence against women in France, merely speaking the words is not enough. Feminist language does not necessarily translate into policy which protects women and those who are most marginalized. The election of politicians who claim feminism as a label for themselves and their work does not in itself solve the serious problems the movement attempts to address. 

France is not alone in its internal disputes regarding the validity of the #MeToo movement in Europe. Germans also resisted #MeToo, dismissing it as an American movement with no ground in the European nation, despite multiple accusations against some of Germany’s biggest names in entertainment media. Additionally, despite protests in Denmark, Jeppe Kofod, a politician who abused his clout to engage in a sexual relationship with a teenage member of his party, was appointed to the European Parliament, and currently serves as the country’s foreign minister. Although Denmark regularly receives high marks in gender-equality ratings worldwide and female participation in the labour market is at an all-time high, sexual harassment persists at the highest levels. In recent months, calls for accountability with the hashtag #MeToo have increased once again in Denmark and 700 female media workers signed an open letter calling for efforts to curb sexist behavior in the workplace. 

Across Europe, abuses of power remain at the center of culture and politics, despite the widespread rhetoric of feminism and the global #MeToo movement. In France, a moment of chaos during a council meeting served as an example of younger feminists clashing with older generations of the movement. It remains to be seen whether calls to action will amount to tangible change. In the meantime, valuable insights can be gained from studying the clash of feminists in France this year, especially that it is a mistake to assume that the mere incorporation of feminist rhetoric will lead to measurable equality for women.