Latest news with #Betharram
Int'l Business Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
French Lawmakers Divided Over PM Child Abuse Hearing
French politicians were divided on Thursday over the marathon hearing of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who was grilled by lawmakers about claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school. Some deputies were outraged at the way Bayrou was questioned for five and a half hours on Wednesday, one of them comparing the hearing to a "Stalinist" trial. Others accused the 73-year-old premier of obfuscation. Even the two co-rapporteurs of the inquiry were divided, with one claiming Bayrou had admitted to "lying" and the other saying she believed him. On Wednesday, Bayrou faced one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office when he sought to defend himself before a committee investigating widespread claims of abuse at a school in southwestern France. During the tense hearing, Bayrou, who served as education minister between 1993 and 1997, struck a defiant tone and said he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports. He accused the commission, and particularly one of the co-rapporteurs, a lawmaker with the left-wing France Unbowed party (LFI), of seeking to "bring down" the government. "I tend to give credence to the prime minister's public words," said far-right National Rally party vice-president Sebastien Chenu, adding that the hearing made him uncomfortable. "For me it was more like a Moscow trial," he told broadcaster TF1. He particularly criticised the behaviour of the LFI co-rapporteur, Paul Vannier, regretting what he called an "exploitation of a tragedy". Marc Fesneau, a Bayrou ally, was even more outspoken, describing "this way of treating people as pretty disgusting". "It's Stalinism," he told broadcaster Radio J. But Boris Vallaud, the head of Socialist lawmakers, described the prime minister's tactics as "smoke and mirrors". "At the end of this hearing, do the French people, the victims, feel that they have been enlightened about what happened?" Vallaud said. "I don't think so." Bayrou has faced opposition claims that he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school. Several of Bayrou's children attended the school and his wife taught religious studies there. Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate was named head of government in December and given the task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. He has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining. Vannier, the LFI co-rappourter, said Thursday the prime minister had admitted having "lied" in February when questioned in parliament for the first time. He told broadcaster franceinfo the committee would carefully study Bayrou's latest statements, pointing to "one important lesson -- yes, Francois Bayrou lied to the National Assembly" in February. Speaking to reporters later in the day, he said it was "too early to say" if Bayrou had lied on Wednesday. His co-rapporteur, centrist Violette Spillebout, disagreed, saying Bayrou had offered an "extremely vigorous defence" following months of attacks by Vannier. "And I believe him," she said. They are expected to deliver their conclusion in June. Analysts say the scandal could embolden the prime minister's enemies. "Francois Bayrou's hearing on the Betharram affair turns into a political confrontation," said French daily Le Monde. Left-leaning Liberation said those who had expected to hear the truth would be disappointed. "The prime minister made it clear from the outset: the best defence is a good offence," the newspaper added. The hard left ramped up their pressure on Bayrou. "Can we accept a prime minister who lies to MPs when they are exercising their constitutional prerogative of overseeing the government's action?", LFI national coordinator Manuel Bompard said on X. "For us, the answer is no!"
Local France
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French PM strikes defiant note on child abuse scandal
The 73-year-old politician faced one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office as he responded to questions from a committee investigating claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school. Bayrou has faced opposition claims that as education minister between 1993 and 1997 he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France over many decades. But on Wednesday he stuck by his previous statements and said that during his time as education minister he had "not received any information other than what was reported in the press". "I had nothing to hide," he said. He signalled his desire to cooperate, saying the inquiry into what he called the "MeToo for children" was finally taking place. "For me, this hearing is very important. It is very important for the boys and girls who have been victims of violence, particularly sexual violence, for decades," he added. But tensions were on full display as the two co-rapporteurs of the commission, Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout, questioned Bayrou about what he knew about alleged violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school near the southwestern town of Pau where Bayrou has been mayor since 2014. During the hearing Bayrou accused Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI), of seeking to "fuel a scandal". Advertisement The French prime minister also said he did not feel that the commission was "completely objective". Several of Bayrou's children attended the school, and his wife taught religious studies there. Bayrou has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of "destruction" against him. 'I have confidence in him' Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate, was named head of government last December. He has been given the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. Until now Bayrou has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining in recent weeks. Bayrou's popularity rating has dropped below that of Macron, according to a poll published last week, with only 27 percent of French people approving of his work. Advertisement Analysts have said Bayrou could face further pressure depending on his performance during the hearing. "The Betharram school scandal may not be sufficient in itself to bring down Bayrou but could embolden his parliamentary enemies, and supposed friends, to pull the plug on the government for other reasons," said the Eurasia Group. "Reasons for dissatisfaction abound," the political risk consultancy added, pointing to France's budgetary crisis. Macron threw his support behind the embattled prime minister. "We have talked about it a lot and I know that I have confidence in him," he told TF1 television Tuesday evening, referring to the Betharram affair. Bayrou's statements have been contradicted by a number of people including his own daughter. In April, Bayrou's eldest daughter accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. Helene Perlant, who is now 53 and uses her mother's name, said however that her father did not know about the incident. 'If he lies, he's dead' Few in Bayrou's team believe that he will be brought down over the scandal. But "if he lies before parliament, he's dead", said a supporter of Macron, asking not to be named. A Bayrou associate stressed that the prime minister was not the subject of the inquiry. The inquiry focuses on "the methods used by the state to monitor and prevent violence in schools". After hearing witnesses, victims and former ministers, the two rapporteurs plan to deliver their conclusions in June. Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. "The state has failed and has not protected the children of Betharram," said Alain Esquerre, who represents a collective of school survivors.
France 24
14-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Bayrou and Betharram: Did French PM lie? Did he cover up sex abuse?
France 08:45 Issued on: Ahead of his grilling by French MPs, we take a deep dive into how the sex abuse scandal at the Catholic school Betharram has become a political hot potato for Prime Minister François Bayrou. We also discuss the ongoing debate about private and public schools in France. Finally, as many victims were told corporal punishment was good discipline, we find out how the French feel about "les fessées'", or spankings. A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
Local France
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Local France
France PM vows to help probe boarding school paedophilia allegations
Francois Bayrou, a veteran centrist named premier in December to end months of political crisis, does not have a parliamentary majority. He has come under scrutiny in recent days in relation to allegations of repeated physical and sexual abuse at a Catholic boarding school in the Pyrenees to which he sent several of his children, including while he was education minister and a regional official. In 1996, the parents of a pupil at the school, near the southwestern city of Pau, filed a complaint after a school monitor slapped the boy so hard he lost his hearing in one ear. The supervisor at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school was found guilty. This happened during Bayrou's tenure as education minister, between 1993 to 1997. Then in May 1998, when Bayrou was no longer minister but still led the council for the region that includes the school, a priest and former headmaster there was detained accused of having raped a 10-year-old boy a decade earlier. He was released then found dead two years later in the river Tiber in Rome. Most recently, testimonies gathered by a former student led to prosecutors last year opening a probe into more than 100 allegations of violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school between the 1970s and the 1990s. The ex-pupil, Alain Esquerre, told the France 3 broadcaster in November that he had since received complaints of alleged abuse up until 2016. 'Children aged eight to 13' Last week French investigative website Mediapart reported that Bayrou -- who has been mayor of Pau since 2014 and remains in the position -- had knowledge of the abuse in the 1990s. Witnesses questioned by AFP last week also claimed that Bayrou must have been aware of the allegations. But on Tuesday, Bayrou told parliament he was "never at that time told about" such complaints, sparking accusations from the left that he was lying. On Saturday, he met Esquerre and other alleged victims at the Pau city hall, as a dozen protesters called for his resignation outside. "I did everything I could when I was minister," Bayrou told the press after the three-hour meeting. And "I did everything I thought I should do when I no longer was." After hearing about the 1996 complaint, he had arranged for the school to be inspected, he added. The prime minister said he would ask for "extra magistrates" to fully investigate the accusations. He also wanted to look into how to help former pupils who had made accusations that fell outside the statute of limitations, he added. He said a civil servant, who had previously led an inquiry into abuse in the Catholic Church, would be meeting the former pupils. That inquiry in 2021 found that French Catholic priests, deacons and other clergy had sexually abused around 216,000 children, mostly pre-adolescent boys, from 1950 to 2020. Esquerre was visibly moved. "I am 53 years old and I have been waiting for this moment for 40 years, so it's a huge victory," he said. "The Betharram scandal, I remind you, is about physical assaults, cruelty of all kinds, humiliation, molestation and rapes against children aged eight to 13 years old, carried out by 26 adults -- priests, including headmasters, and secular school monitors," he added.
