Belgian journalist and human rights activist Assita Kanko called out “Western feminists,” whom she said should answer for their silence in the face of the atrocities committed against Israeli civilians — many of whom were women — by the terrorist group Hamas.
Kanko, who was elected to serve as a member of the European Union’s Parliament, addressed her peers in a speech she shared via X on Wednesday — seven weeks after Hamas terrorists breached the border into Israel, raping and slaughtering men, women, and children before taking hundreds more hostage and returning to Gaza.
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Today, I have a question. A pressing question. For some Western feminists.
How can you remain silent, when women and girls are raped, tortured, their bodies carried around naked and spat on by bearded men shouting Allah Akbar?Then you can never call yourself a feminist again.… pic.twitter.com/JNalcrobAq
— Assita Kanko MEP (@Assita_Kanko) November 22, 2023
“Today, I have a question. A pressing question for some Western feminists. How can you remain silent when women and girls are raped, tortured, their bodies carried around naked and spat on by bearded men shouting Allah Akbar?” she asked. “Then you can never call yourself a feminist again.”
“Every day, including today, some Western hypocritical feminists should be ashamed of their silence on the horror that Hamas men inflicted to women and girls on 7 October. And that includes big names we were once proud of,” she continued. “Why are their lips sealed and their hearts of stone when it comes to the excruciating pain of Jewish women?”
Kanko went on to reference the #MeToo movement — which had quickly spawned calls to #believeallwomen and was predicated on the idea that every victim’s voice mattered — and argued that unless the victims fit a specific narrative, the “movement” had no use for them.
“The MeToo movement and so-called intersectional feminists do not care about all women. If they remain silent, it means they have lied to us about their commitment to women’s rights. Their actions support the oppressor, not the victims,” she said, calling out directly those who were attacking Israel over its strategic response to the brutal attacks. “Also the EU money does, indirectly.”
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“Those who say nothing about these women and the hostages should not be standing here and speaking about human rights,” Kanko concluded, arguing against calls for a ceasefire and calling for the return of the Israeli hostages and “justice” to deal with Hamas. “When you are under attack by terrorists, a ceasefire is like raising your hands when you are being shot at. Perhaps it is worth considering that a real lasting ceasefire will start with bringing back all the hostages to their homes and the rapists to justice.”