The Minister responsible for Equality between women and men, Aurore Bergé, defended herself on Saturday from any exploitation after having raised the idea of cutting subsidies to feminist associations having made “ambiguous comments” on the attack on Hamas in Israel on October 7.
“We cannot have selective indignation”
Aurore Bergé announced in mid-February that the government was “sifting” the declarations linked to the unprecedented attack of October 7 on all feminist associations, expressing her refusal to see the State financially support “associations which do not know how to characterize what happened. In the end, the examination by the administration “not among those financed by the State” made it possible to discover comments considered ambiguous among the associations, affirmed Aurore Bergé in an interview with Le Parisien. “I wanted to guarantee it. And above all I wanted to send a clear message,” explained the minister. She added that she had requested “an evaluation, because it is not possible to subsidize associations which have glorified Hamas’ terrorist crimes.”
Asked about her “instrumentalization”, denounced by associations, Aurore Bergé retorted that “we cannot have selective indignation”. “Everyone can completely disagree with the government, it is even an absolute freedom and I am also its guarantor. On the other hand, let us collectively be there when women are targeted because they are women!” , she said. Furthermore, while a new #MeToo movement is shaking French cinema, Aurore Bergé announced that she was launching “with all the ministries”, Health, Culture, Sports, Civil Service and Equality between women and men, “a mission on gender-based and sexual violence.
Objective ? “Understand the mechanisms at work to change the rules in all places where hierarchical domination is exercised, where a relationship of authority exists. Everywhere, counter-powers and safeguards must be put in place” , she insisted. This mission, officially launched in “the coming days”, will take place over “three months”, supervised by “six experts”, the minister’s entourage told AFP. Finally, questioned about a decree taken recently by Bruno Le Maire, canceling 7 million euros in credits planned for Equality between women and men, Aurore Bergé assured that this will “never concern the question of violence” (sexist and sexual). “I am very clear on this, it is the great cause of the two five-year terms of the President of the Republic.”