The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has just been fined €90,000 (about $110,000). Her crime?
Hiring too many women.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Mayor is striking back at the absurd ruling with the perfect defiant response.
In her tweet, taken from her comments delivered to the Paris city council on the matter, Hidalgo retorted:
"11 women, 5 men... The City of Paris has been fined 90,000 Euros because too many women were appointed to directorships."
"Along with my assistants, directors and presidents, we will therefore deliver the check to the Minister of Public Service in person."
In other words:
"I and my sizable gang of supposedly superfluous women will be glad to come pay your little fine in person, see you soon, chéries!"
The fine arose because Hidalgo ran aground of a city rule that states at least 40% of government positions must go to people of each sex. Hidalgo's appointment of 11 women and 5 men puts her split at 69% women.
Even Amélie de Montchalin, who, as France's Minister of Public Service, is the leader of the organization to which the fine will be paid, decried the ruling.
In a quote tweet of Hidalgo's tweet, de Montchalin specified the statute under which Hidalgo is being fined was repealed in 2019.
She called for the retroactive fine of €90,000 to be used to do precisely what Hidalgo has been doing—hire more women in government.
She tweeted:
"...the cause of women deserves better! We repealed this absurd provision in 2019. I want the fine paid by Paris for 2018 to finance concrete actions to promote women in the public service. I invite you to the ministry to raise them!"
From the sounds of it, Hidalgo plans to do just that.
In her comments to the city council, Hidalgo also made it clear she had no intention of backing off on her initiative to elevate more qualified women to positions long denied them.
"Yes, we must promote women with determination and vigor, because the delay everywhere in France is still very great. So yes, to promote and one day achieve parity, we must speed up the tempo and ensure that in the nominations there are more women than men."
"In Paris, we are doing everything to make it a success, and I am very, very proud of a large team of women and men who carry together this fight for equality."
On Twitter, people applauded Hidalgo and decried the silliness of the fine.
Hidalgo—a member of France's Socialist Party—was first elected Paris mayor in 2014. She was re-elected two years ago.
She is the first woman to ever hold the position.
