Les Antigones

Les Antigones is a French women's association founded in 2013. It presents itself as a movement defending women, but it is widely regarded as anti-feminist or as a reactionary and identitarian use of feminism, sometimes labelled 'femonationalist'. The group emerged from an oppositional dynamic against the activist group Femen: on 25 May 2013, after an aborted demonstration at the Femen premises, a video was published on YouTube in which young women dressed in white denounced Femen's 'degrading methods of action', 'liberticidal profanations', 'reification of the female body' and 'sectarian functioning'. Among them was Iseul Turan (a pseudonym), co-founder of Les Antigones, who stated she had infiltrated Femen for two months. The buzz around this video brought the group into the media spotlight. From the outset, the movement was classified on the right of the political spectrum because of its positions on traditional and conservative values and its proximity to identitarian movements. Its early activism took the form of stunts widely relayed on its online networks, most of them directed against Femen: the founding video, an open letter to François Hollande denouncing a Marianne stamp supposedly inspired by Inna Shevchenko's face, and a 'reparatory' visit to embassies of countries allegedly offended by Femen. From 2013 the group tried to diversify its topics, with actions of more mixed success, such as one at the Forum des Halles in Paris against the 'capitalism of seduction', a phrase borrowed from Michel Clouscard, which was covered in a Canal+ report. Analysts place Les Antigones within 'neo-reactionary feminism' or 'identitarian feminism'. Mediapart described them alongside Eugénie Bastié, Marianne Durano and Thérèse Hargot as oscillating between anti-feminism and alter-feminism, and as witnesses to 'major recompositions on the right on the question of women'. At the time of the group's creation, sociologists and political scientists linked it to the identitarian and conservative milieu that developed during the Manif pour tous (Bloc identitaire, Renouveau français). Journalist Elvire Emptaz considers the movement to be part of anti-feminism and of a supposed defence of women that should be feminine rather than feminist, insisting on a singular feminine identity defined in relation to men. Emerging during debates on same-sex marriage in France, it also recurrently opposed moral liberalism while leaving frontal battles against LGBT+ rights to allied movements. Today Les Antigones operates primarily as an association and media platform. Its website hosts a blog and promotes books, conferences and radio appearances by its members, notably Anne Trewby and Iseul Turan, on outlets such as Radio Courtoisie, Breizh Info and Méridien Zéro. It is registered in the French Répertoire national des associations.

Les Antigones was created in 2013 as a French women's movement. Its founding moment came on 25 May 2013, after an aborted demonstration at the Femen premises: a video was published on YouTube in which young women dressed in white denounced Femen's 'degrading methods of action', 'liberticidal profanations', 'reification of the female body' and 'sectarian functioning'. Among them was Iseul Turan (a pseudonym), co-founder of Les Antigones, who said she had infiltrated Femen for two months. The buzz generated by this video allowed the group to enter the media scene. According to Marie Labussière, a doctoral researcher at Maastricht University, in a 2017 academic article titled 'Le féminisme comme « héritage à dépasser » : Les Antigones, un militantisme féminin à la frontière de l’espace de la cause des femmes', the movement was born 'in an oppositional dynamic vis-à-vis the Femen'. From the beginning, it was classified on the right of the political spectrum because of its positions on traditional and conservative values and its proximity to identitarian movements. In its early years the movement took the form of activist stunts widely relayed on its online networks. Most of the first actions were directly aimed at Femen: the founding video; an open letter to François Hollande denouncing a Marianne stamp supposedly inspired by Inna Shevchenko's face; and a 'reparatory' visit to the embassies of countries that Femen had allegedly offended. From 2013 the Antigones tried to diversify their topics, with some actions of more relative success. One action was carried out at the Forum des Halles in Paris against the 'capitalism of seduction', a phrase from Michel Clouscard; it was covered in a Canal+ report. Analysts have placed the group in various categories. An article in L'Obs classified the Antigones within 'neo-reactionary feminism or identitarian feminism'. Mediapart described them alongside Eugénie Bastié, Marianne Durano and Thérèse Hargot as oscillating between anti-feminism and alter-feminism, and considered them one of the witnesses to 'major recompositions on the right on the question of women'. At the time of the group's creation, sociologists and political scientists interviewed on the subject linked it to the identitarian and conservative milieu that had developed during the Manif pour tous (Bloc identitaire, Renouveau français). According to journalist Elvire Emptaz, the movement is part of anti-feminism and of a supposed defence of women that should be feminine rather than feminist; she stresses a singular feminine identity defined in relation to men. Emerging during debates on same-sex marriage in France, it also has as a recurrent motive opposition to moral liberalism, while leaving frontal battles against LGBT+ rights to parent movements. In the 2020s the organisation has functioned largely as an association and media platform. Its website hosts a blog and promotes books, conferences and radio appearances by its members, notably Anne Trewby and Iseul Turan, on outlets such as Radio Courtoisie, Breizh Info and Méridien Zéro. It is listed in the French Répertoire national des associations.

• Founding video published on YouTube after aborted demonstration at Femen premises; Iseul Turan reveals she infiltrated Femen for two months.

• Movement begins with activist stunts, mostly directed against Femen, including an open letter to François Hollande and a 'reparatory' visit to embassies.

• Action at Forum des Halles in Paris against the 'capitalism of seduction', covered by Canal+.

• Academic article by Marie Labussière analyses the movement as born in opposition to Femen.

• Sabine de Villeroché interviews Anne Trewby in Boulevard Voltaire.

• Anne Trewby presents her book on Le Zoom with Floriane Jeannin.

• Livr'arbitre column in Le Nouveau Présent discusses a co-written book.

• Anne Trewby invited on Méridien Zéro.

• Iseul Turan guest on Ligne Droite, Radio Courtoisie.

• Anne Trewby answers questions from Audrey d'Aguanno for Breizh Info.

Self-described defender of women; widely classified as anti-feminist, neo-reactionary or identitarian feminist.

• Blog articles

  Opinion and analysis pieces on feminism, Christianity, society and gender.

• Books

  Collective works such as Europa Aeterna and Programme politique pour une génération dans l'orage.

• Conferences and radio appearances

  Members speak at events and on outlets like Radio Courtoisie, Breizh Info and Méridien Zéro.

• Anti-Femen video campaign
• Open letter to François Hollande
• Reparatory embassy visits
• Forum des Halles action

1. 1Les Antigones official websitelesantigones.fr
2. 2Wikidata: Les Antigoneswikidata.org
3. 3Wikipédia: Les Antigones (mouvement féminin)fr.wikipedia.org