The leader of France's Rassemblement National Jordan Bardella arrives as he attends at the French far-right party national rally near the parliament in support of Marine Le Pen in Paris, Sunday, April 6, 2025. MICHEL EULER / AP

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has thrown his support behind a proposal to bring back brothels, denouncing what he said was "hypocrisy" over sex work.

Brothels, or "maisons closes," existed in their hundreds in France before they were outlawed in 1946. A member of Bardella's far-right Rassemblement National party plans to submit a bill that would allow brothels to re-open and be run as cooperatives by sex workers themselves.

Subscribers only

France's far-right Rassemblement National wants to reopen brothels