RN Deputy Moves to Panthéonize Olympe de Gouges, Historian Cécile Berly Protests
On September 8, 2023, French lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy from the Rassemblement national called for Olympe de Gouges to be memorialized in the Panthéon. He praised her advocacy for gender equality and her opposition to slavery. However, historian Cécile Berly cautioned that aligning with de Gouges could contradict the core values of the far-right party, led by Marine Le Pen. De Gouges, who faced execution in 1793, wrote approximately 150 works, including the "Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne." Her bid for recognition at the Panthéon has been ongoing since 1989, and she was commemorated during the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony.
Key facts
- RN deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy filed a resolution proposal on Tuesday 8 September seeking the panthéonisation of Olympe de Gouges.
- The proposal cites her commitment to sex equality, her anti-slavery stance and her death for her political engagement.
- Historian Cécile Berly said she felt immense unease and anger at the news.
- Berly's new book "Olympe de Gouges. L'autre Voltaire ?" is published by Éditions Passés composés.
- De Gouges published her "Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne" in 1791.
- She wrote about 150 texts and the first anti-slavery play, "Zamore et Mirza ou l'heureux naufrage," in 1783.
- Arrested on 20 July 1793, she was guillotined in November 1793.
- Her panthéonisation was first suggested to President François Mitterrand during the 1989 bicentennial.
- In 2024 she was among ten golden statues honored at the Olympic opening ceremony.
- Berly links de Gouges's legacy to Iran's "Femme, vie, liberté" movement after Mahsa Amini's death.
Entities
Artists
- Olympe de Gouges
- Cécile Berly
- Jean-Philippe Tanguy
- Marine Le Pen
- Jordan Bardella
- François Mitterrand
- Catel
- José-Louis Bocquet
- Mahsa Amini
- Voltaire
Institutions
- Rassemblement national
- Panthéon
- Actualitté
- Éditions Passés composés
- France24
- Actuallité
- AFP
Locations
- France
- Somme
- Carcassonne
- Iran
- Téhéran
- Valence
- Paris
- Tehran