A speech delivered in the European Parliament by Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) MEP Fernand Kartheiser has sparked controversy.
In his intervention (in French) during a plenary session discussing and voting on consent-based rape legislation, Kartheiser – a member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality – sharply criticised feminism, arguing that it undermines relationships and exposes men to legal risks.
He claimed that "feminism is an ideology that betrays women", adding that most women "aspire to be happy with their families, their husbands, and their children", and feminism prevents them from doing so by making the relationships between men and women "ever more difficult".
The speech also focused on the legal aspect around consent and sexual relations, with Kartheiser warning that the initiatives under discussion could have far-reaching consequences. According to the ADR politician, such measures "expose men to incalculable legal risks" when pursuing relationships. He further argued that "radical feminism replaces eroticism with a consent contract, if possible put down in writing, and turns every sexual act into a potential criminal case."
Kartheiser shared his concerns about due process, asserting that "no man is safe from prosecution for rape anymore, even decades later, even in the absence of any evidence, and even for the most base motives. In reality, feminist ideology aims to weaken heterosexual love."
Dutch MEP for Volt Anna Strolenberg pushed back against Kartheiser during the session, stating the ADR MEP was placing the blame on rape victims, and emphasised the shortcomings of the current legal definitions, which contribute to the existence of cases such as the one of Gisèle Pelicot.
Strolenberg later published a video on social media containing excerpts of the interventions. The post garnered significant attention from the public, with nearly 22 thousand "likes" and over one thousand comments, the majority of which denounced Kartheiser's statements.
Fernand Kartheiser's speech also took aim at EU institutions, claiming they were overstepping their authority. "This Parliament and the Commission are once again overstepping their competence", he said, arguing that criminal law should remain a matter for individual member states.
At the plenary session of 27 and 28 April, the European Parliament urged the Commission to introduce EU-wide legislation defining rape based on the absence of consent, calling on member states to move beyond force-based definitions.
In the report, adopted with 447 votes for, 160 against and 43 abstentions, MEPs stressed that silence or lack of resistance must not be seen as consent and advocate a victim-centred approach with better support services, mandatory training for professionals, and EU-wide awareness campaigns to ensure consistent protection and access to justice across the bloc.
