The National Rally is ready to bring back brothels for the French 0 28

An unexpected initiative from the National Rally party was announced this week. As reported by Le Monde, if Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella come to power, brothels that were closed by the 1946 law may reopen in France.

The proposal was initiated by 39-year-old National Rally deputy Jean-Philippe Tangi, who is responsible for budget issues in parliament. "I am going to propose to reopen brothels, but managed by the prostitutes themselves, on a cooperative basis," Tangi stated to the surprised members of the finance committee.

In an interview with Le Monde, the politician mentioned that he is preparing a bill "in this direction." The first version is already ready but needs further refinement. The bill has the support of party leader Marine Le Pen.

This "unexpected project," as Le Monde describes it, is capable of igniting a discussion about the issue of prostitution in society and the legal frameworks within which it should exist.

According to Tangi, in his youth he volunteered for the organization "The Women's Bus" in the Bois de Boulogne, which helped sex workers. "At that time, I saw the poverty, suffering, and daily horror that these women lived in," he says, adding that he met in Paris "older prostitutes who were very proud of their profession."

Even then, he understood that the existing situation was not working. The law passed during the presidency of socialist François Hollande, aimed at punishing clients, has, in Tangi's opinion, only worsened the situation for those involved in prostitution. The ban on clients forces sex workers to hide, working in increasingly difficult and dangerous conditions. "They are beaten, sometimes have their throats cut, and no one talks about it!" Tangi exclaimed in an interview with Le Monde. He describes the current system as "the apotheosis of bourgeois hypocrisy."

"Empresses in Their Kingdom"

To improve the situation, Jean-Philippe Tangi proposes to bring back "tolerance houses," as they existed in France from 1804 to 1946, but now on a cooperative principle. According to Marine Le Pen's associate, sex workers will no longer be subordinate to pimps but will become "empresses in their kingdom."

The adoption of such a law would recognize prostitution as a form of labor and allow sex industry workers to pay contributions, receive unemployment benefits, or pensions. The bill will be submitted to parliament soon, although this topic is not a key concern for the party, Jean-Philippe Tangi admits in an interview with RTL.

Tangi is a rising star of the French far-right and one of the symbols of the party's renewal. He is an openly gay man who advocates for same-sex marriage and participates in pride events. He supported enshrining the right to abortion in the Constitution. His position is atypical for the traditional far-right agenda.

Previously, the far-right National Rally did not show particular interest in the topic of prostitution. However, according to the vice-chairman of the National Rally, Sébastien Chenu, Marine Le Pen has long advocated for ensuring the safety of sex workers.

In 2013, when the socialist government was promoting a law to criminalize clients, Marine Le Pen called it a "stupid idea" that would only increase risks for prostituted women. However, as a solution to the problem, she suggested "sending these girls back to their countries of origin."

The tolerance houses that existed in France since the Napoleonic era were closed in 1946. Seventy years later, in 2016, under President Hollande, a law was passed that punishes clients purchasing sex services with a fine of up to 1,500 euros.

At the same time, prostitution as such is not prohibited by law, but actions surrounding it fall under the article of the French Criminal Code on pimping: whether it be renting housing, banking services, hiring employees, or transporting people. Pimping is punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros.