France: Islamophobia and femonationalism at the heart of controversy surrounding influencer at Cannes

At the Cannes Film Festival, influencer Léna Mahfouf, also known as Léna Situations, found herself at the center of an Islamophobic controversy and was targeted by a wave of online harassment.

After walking the red carpet wearing a loose, modest dress and covering her hair with a headscarf, the young woman was accused of “Islamist entryism” in a tweet by the Secretary General of the Renaissance party. This comment echoes the government’s controversial report on the “threat” of the Muslim Brotherhood. The far-right channel CNews also seized the opportunity to add another Islamophobic remark, with one presenter accusing Léna Mahfouf of “dressing like the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Beyond the Islamophobic nature of these statements, this incident is yet another example of femonationalism in France. When the Secretary General of Renaissance tweeted that “our mothers fought so we could wear short skirts,” she was using feminist rhetoric to justify discriminatory policies.

See: L’Humanité, Libération