Arthur de Laborde / Photo credit: DANIEL PIER / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP
On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron said he was in favor of including consent in French law, for better criminal punishment of rape. In reality, this desire, which does not correspond to that defended by France in Brussels, is part of a political strategy with a view to the European elections.
This is a measure intended to lead to better criminal punishment of rape. Emmanuel Macron said this Wednesday that he was in favor of including the notion of consent in French law, while rape, today, is only judged in the light of four elements: violence, coercion, threat or surprise. In reality, this desire of the head of state looks a lot like a political coup.
Especially since this is a turnaround to the extent that France opposed, a few weeks ago, a European definition of rape which, precisely, proposed integrating this notion of consent. This blockage in Brussels gave rise to strong criticism on the left, in particular from Raphaël Glucksmann.
A signal to center-left voters
However, polls show today that the head of the PS list for the European elections is in the process of adopting Macronie voting intentions. With this about-face, the president contradicts his Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, until now opposed to a new definition of rape and also seems to take some of his collaborators by surprise who fail to clearly explain the developments desired by The head of state.
But by responding favorably to a request made by certain feminist associations, Emmanuel Macron wants to send a clear signal to center-left voters. This is also part of his strategy of polarizing the debate to the extreme to try to mobilize his camp before the Europeans, as he does on Ukraine or the end of life. And thus banking on a simplistic divide between progressives and populists.