A deputy from her own party denounced the case after speaking to the alleged victim, who filed a complaint with the cell for sexist and sexual violence Europe Ecology-Los Verdes
Julien Bayou, leader of France’s environmentalists, tendered his resignation as national secretary of the Europe Ecology-The Greens (EE-LV) party on Monday after being accused by a member of his own party of psychologically harassing his ex- female friend. Bayou, who also resigned as chairman of the environmental group in the National Assembly, will remain a deputy to the same despite the scandal.
Bayou, 42, regretted not being allowed to defend himself against the charges. “They are accusing me of facts that they do not present to me and which, according to my prosecutors, are not criminally objectionable and of which I cannot even defend myself because they refuse to listen to me,” the politician complained in a statement.
The environmentalist, under pressure from other members of his party, decided to resign as general secretary of EE-LV, saying that “the situation was untenable”. Bayou opined that “the harmful context prevents any distinction, at a time when society is tilting and seeking the balance point for this necessary feminist revolution.”
Interestingly, it was not Bayou’s ex-girlfriend who publicly denounced the Los Verdes leader for psychological harassment, but ecofeminist Sandrine Rousseau, a deputy from her own party, after speaking with the alleged victim. “There are behaviors that can harm women’s mental health,” Rousseau said on television, without giving more details about what might have happened between them.
Bayou’s ex-partner filed a complaint with the sexist and sexual violence cell of the Europa Ecology-Los Verdes party, but so far she has not reported what happened to the police, nor has the French Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation.
The Bayou case is not the only one shaking up the French left these days. Adrien Quatennens, until now the little number two of the dolphin of La France Insumisa and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, resigned as party coordinator a few days ago, after publicly admitting that he had beaten his wife, from whom he is divorcing. Quatennens, like Bayou, has not given up his seat in the National Assembly.
The French press announced that the woman had explained to the police what had happened, although she had not made a formal complaint against Quatennnes. The Lille public prosecutor’s office has officially opened an investigation against the deputy of La Izquierda Insumisa for alleged domestic violence.
Mélenchon, the party leader, was criticized in France for being too lenient with Quatennens. When the scandal erupted, the leader of the populist left criticized “police revenge, media voyeurism and social networks” and praised “the dignity” and “courage” of his number two for making the details of his divorce public.
The leader of La Francia Insumisa on Saturday accepted criticism for his Twitter response to the case, but made no apologies. Mélenchon believes that his dauphin should not give up his position as deputy after resigning as training coordinator and is confident that once the divorce is resolved he can return to the front lines of the “political struggle”.
Source: La Verdad
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