February 2022 – Of Fishwives and Politics, Then and Now
Carrie F. Klaus for the SSEMWG Blog On February 2, 2021, as she prepared to address France’s National Assembly during a debate over extending the state of emergency declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mathilde Panot, a representative of the Val-de-Marne district just outside Paris, heard the words “folle” (madwoman) and “poissonnière” (fishwife) launched at her by another delegate. In a tweet the next morning, she posted a video of the incident, called out the sexist slurs, and demanded an apology and a sanction. She also sent a formal letter to the President of the Assembly. In the tweeted…