Jordan Bardella at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, December 16, 2025. PASCAL BASTIEN/AP
In Paris, Rassemblement National (RN) MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy is championing the cause of sex workers, claiming he wants to shield them from violent clients and protect them from the tyranny of pimps. His solution: "the reopening of brothels," which, he suggested, would be operated "by the women themselves, as cooperatives," casting himself as a protector of women. Meanwhile, in Strasbourg, the far-right party's president, Jordan Bardella, who is also a member of the European Parliament, has done little to defend the rights of European women. That is putting it mildly.
A vote in the European Parliament on November 13, on the report outlining the 2025 strategy for gender equality, provided further evidence of this. Bardella and his RN colleagues voted against this non-binding piece of legislation, which allows the Parliament to express its position on issues such as gender-based violence, health care, the workplace and education.
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France's far-right Rassemblement National wants to reopen brothels
