Decades of feminism paved the road to Andrew's arrest | Rebecca Solnit

"This week, for the first time since 1647, a member of the royal family was arrested in the United Kingdom, not over allegations of sexual wrongdoing but for trade-related communications with the supplier of those victims, Jeffrey Epstein, to whom he is supposed to have leaked state secrets. The public outrage in the US about Epstein forced the government to release the files, including emails between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein now under investigation in the criminal case."

"The arrestee formerly known as Prince Andrew was accused by Virginia Guiffre with having had sex with her when she was a minor being trafficked by Epstein. He has always denied wrongdoing. Until his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, only his family had held him accountable for his ongoing association with Epstein after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution."

"The simplest explanation of Donald Trump's furious, frantic behavior since last summer is that he has a lot to hide, and US attorney general Pam Bondi has proven eager to hide it on his behalf. Without feminism, the sequence of events that led to Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest would never have happened. It's a reminder that feminism is powerful and important and even transformative, which is why there's so much pushback from those who benefit from the old inequalities and the old silences,"

A member of the royal family was arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to communications with Jeffrey Epstein. Public outrage in the United States prompted release of files and emails between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein now under criminal investigation. Virginia Giuffre accused the arrestee of sexual contact while she was a minor trafficked by Epstein; the arrestee denies wrongdoing. Prior accountability came mainly from family pressure. The piece links the arrest to sustained feminist campaigns, notes ongoing protections for other powerful figures, and highlights political efforts to conceal wrongdoing.

Read at www.theguardian.com