#MeToo and the Gender Wars on the Left

In recent years, the French left has been shaken by a series of abuse scandals, especially since the Harvey Weinstein case in 2018 and the launching of the #MeToo hastag.

Paradoxically, the men involved in these cases were also staunch defenders of women’s rights and gender equality. The two parties most affected have been the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) and the green party, Les Écologistes. These abuse cases have steered deep divisions within left-wing feminists.

Political Hypocrisy and #MeToo

One of the most prominent political figures to fall from grace under #MeToo was Adrien Quatennens, a former MP from Northern France and rising star in La France Insoumise. In 2017, shortly after being elected at the age of 27, he was recognized by his party as bright and promising. He quickly rose through the ranks and, as a protégé of party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was given a senior position in 2019 and re-elected in May 2022.

However, just six months later, his career took a dramatic turn when his wife reported incidents of physical abuse to the police. A court case was opened, which led to his conviction and temporary suspension from his party. A year later, despite completing a “re-education course” on feminism provided by LFI, he stepped away from politics.

Silencing of Male Voices

Since these scandals surfaced, it has become increasingly difficult for male left-wing politicians to speak publicly on issues of sexism, as fears of being blackmailed are growing and feminists are intensifying their campaigns.

In 2021, a widely publicised Le Monde op-ed, signed by 285 female left-wing politicians, called for the immediate removal of any man accused of sexist or sexual violence from political life: the case described previously shows how successful they were in doing so.

How then did we get to such a tense debate on women rights?

The fact that the left is so supportive of this war has old roots. Its vision of feminism is highly inspired by Marxism and implies that, in order to restore a peaceful relationship between men and women, only a fully-fledged war can eradicate any misconduct by men. French 20th century marxist and existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir still inspires the views of most feminists today. In her book, The Second Sex, published in 1949, Simone de Beauvoir develops a new approach to the condition of women and their nature: “humanity is male”, she writes, “and man defines woman not herself, but as relative to him." Starting from that postulate, de Beauvoir goes further, considering the traditional family as a way for men to oppress women and ends up distinguishing sex and gender by explaining that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”.

De Beauvoir’s theory is constantly reused by feminists today, especially in France. An Écologiste MP, Sandrine Rousseau, who stands as a prominent feminist once said on a radio program that: "We are living in an oppressive system. Who is responsible for this? Not individual people, but relationships of domination and the socio-structural relationships in our societies.”

However, her views are not shared by all feminist voices on the left, who are increasingly divided on the extent to which patriarchy should be fought.

Internal Feminist Conflicts

The internal rift in the left appeared in October 2024 when Caroline Fourest—a prominent feminist writer once seen as a leading voice of radical feminism—published her bestselling book Le Vertige MeToo (The MeToo Vertigo), in which she warned of the dangers of #MeToo overreach.

In an interview with Le Monde on her book, she urged caution: “Let’s avoid abusing the #MeToo hashtag to settle scores and eliminate people. You must understand that there will be a backlash.”

Her stance sparked outrage among some on the radical left. Communist Party MP Clémentine Autain accused Mrs. Fourest of “shattering the very foundations of liberated speech and shame”, and of “tearing down all the foundations of liberated speech and shamefully switching sides.” Sandrine Rousseau supported an op-ed in the left-wing magazine, Le Nouvel Obs, criticising Caroline Fourest’s book as “riddled with mistakes.”

Once hailed as a pioneering feminist, Fourest is now considered a centrist and may never completely recover from this fight. The conservative columnist Eugénie Bastié compared Caroline Fourest to the revolutionary feminist figure, Olympe de Gouges, who refused to vote for King Louis 16th’s death. Like her, writes the columnist, Mrs Fourest “wants to correct feminism from its excesses. Like her, she faces the media’s guillotine. For the fate of moderate left-wingers is to be devoured by people more radical than them.”

Statement

The gender wars on the left have left deep traces. It has now become increasingly difficult for men to discuss the issue and even more to take some distance from any kind of sexist actions, however minor or common they may seem. The level of tension was at its highest in the past three years, with several cases emerging among left-wing MPs. Though most cases have now been solved for most of them, they are a reminder of how far and divisive the feminist war has become for the left, while it was a unifying factor in the past.

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