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France 24
25-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
French PM under pressure after daughter reveals she was abused at school
The daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Wednesday accused clergy at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Bétharram school in the Pyrenees of systemic abuse, alleging a priest beat her at summer camp when she was 14—while her father was serving as a local official. Bayrou has been under fire for failing to report the multiple allegations of abuse when he was education minister in the 1990s, but he has repeatedly insisted he knew nothing about the incidents. The eldest daughter of France's Prime Minister François Bayrou, Hélène Perlant, recently revealed that she had been beaten by a priest while she was a teenager attending a Catholic school near his home town of Pau. Her account comes after over 200 now adult victims have filed complaints about the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of clergy at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school between the 1960s up until the 2000s. Perlant appeared to contradict her father's claims of being unaware of the widespread abuse while he was involved in local government in the area, and during his time as education minister. 'I don't think he [my father] remembers, but I was there the evening he came back from Judge Mirande's,' she said during a televised Mediapart interview. Her father asked her at the time if she thought the allegations could be true, she added. The judge, Christian Mirande, confirmed that he had discussed the allegations with Bayrou in 1998, but said the now prime minister was probably already informed by the local media. 01:34 Bayrou had initially claimed that he never discussed the allegations with the judge. "Like the testimonies of the other victims, the account of Hélène Perlant contradicts the words of François Bayrou," wrote the MP Paul Vannier, of the leftwing party France Unbowed (La France InSoumise) on X. 'Punched and kicked me all over' Perlant, now 53, had been a victim herself during a summer camp run by the school in the 1980s. "One night when we were unpacking our sleeping bags, [Father] Lartiguet suddenly grabbed me by the hair, dragged me across the floor for several metres, then punched and kicked me all over, especially in the stomach," she told Paris Match magazine. "I wet myself and stayed like that all night, damp and rolled up in a ball in my sleeping bag," she added. Her disclosure came shortly before the publication of a collection of survivor's accounts titled 'The Silence of Bétharram', co-written by Alain Esquerre, spokesperson for the victims of the institution, and the journalist Clémence Badault. The book aims to raise awareness about the sadistic and ongoing abuse at the Catholic school by giving a voice to the victims. Perlant has protected her father, saying, 'I place him on the same level as all the parents. The more involved you are, the less you see and the less you understand." Perlant said she had not told her father about her own experience until this week. "The real question is one of denial, at the individual and collective level. Not one of lies," Perlant said. France: New book exposes Betharram abuse scandal, raising tensions among Catholic schools 07:09 'As a father, it stabs me in the heart… it's almost unbearable,' Bayrou said of learning of his daughter's experience. 'I was never informed of anything regarding violence [in the school].' The prime minister, who leads a centrist minority government, is scheduled to appear on May 14 before a parliamentary inquiry. The growing scandal over allegations concerning the Bétharram school comes as France struggles to come to grips with another alleged cover-up by the Catholic Church. The late Abbé Pierre, a French Catholic priest who founded a major charity, is said to have abused women since the 1950s.
Gulf Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
French PM's daughter reveals she was abused at by priest scandal-hit school
The daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou has described being assaulted by a priest at a Catholic school in the 1980s, echoing fellow former pupils in complaints that have prompted scrutiny of her father's time as education minister. The eldest of Bayrou's six children, Helene Perlant, 53, a teacher unknown to the public until this week, said in a book published on Thursday that she was beaten up by a now-deceased priest at the school in the 1980s when she was 14. "He grabbed me by the hair, dragged me along the ground for several metres, and kicked me all over my body, especially in the stomach," Perlant told weekly Paris Match in an interview, adding that she was so shocked that she wet herself. Former pupils at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school near Pau in the southwest have filed dozens of complaints against staff and religious members of the school for physical and sexual abuse. Prosecutors in Pau opened a preliminary investigation early last year but said that many of the allegations fell under the statute of limitations, which is 30 years for rape and 10 years for sexual assault. Bayrou has been accused by political opponents of lying when he said he did not know about the extent of the scandal when he was education minister from 1993-1997, although some complaints had been made by then. Perlant said she had not told her father about her own experience until this week. "The real question is one of denial, at the individual and collective level. Not one of lies," Perlant said. Bayrou, who is still the mayor of Pau, sent three of his six children to the school, where his wife taught religious education. He is scheduled to be grilled by lawmakers on May 14 after they opened a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal. 'DEVASTATED' An official from Bayrou's office said the premier was in a state of shock after learning what his daughter went through, but maintained he was not at fault and did not lie, and that the scandal was being weaponised by political opponents. "He is devastated. The doting father he is has just got a big slap in the face," the official told Reuters. "Helene's account backs up what Francois Bayrou said all along: that he didn't know." Some lawmakers have floated threats of a no-confidence vote in Bayrou, who has led a centrist minority government since December last year, and could be toppled if left-wing and far-right parties unite to vote against him. Bayrou told lawmakers in February "he had never been informed of any violence, let alone sexual violence". He later said he had ordered an inspection of the school in 1996 in light of some complaints and that its findings were "reassuring." The special French court that handles cases involving government ministers, the Republic's Court of Justice, has dismissed two reports from opposition lawmakers against Bayrou, saying there was no sign of wrongdoing in his former capacity as education minister at this stage. But the court said it could re-explore the case should more details come to light. A school alumnus, whose name was not revealed, has also filed a legal complaint against Bayrou for failure to report a crime, according to French media. His education minister ordered an administrative inspection of the school in March; its findings have yet to be made public. The author of the book in which Bayrou's daughter tells her story, Alain Esquere, a former pupil at the school, is behind a social media campaign launched in 2023 to collect the stories of alleged abuse at the school between the 1950s and 2010. Contacted by Reuters, management at the school, which has been renamed Le Beau Rameau, did not immediately return a request for comment. The school has yet to make any official statement about the complaints. The scandal has fuelled a broader reckoning in France over the culture and oversight of private religious schools, particularly boarding institutions that have operated with limited transparency. Reuters
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Daughter of French PM reveals she was abused at scandal-hit school
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the school Le Beau Rameau, formerly known as the Notre-Dame de Betharram institution, a French Catholic college-high school, in Lestelle-Betharram, near Pau, France, February 21, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou/File Photo PARIS - The daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou has described being assaulted by a priest at a Catholic school in the 1980s, echoing fellow former pupils in complaints that have prompted scrutiny of her father's time as education minister. The eldest of Bayrou's six children, Helene Perlant, 53, a teacher unknown to the public until this week, said in a book published on Thursday that she was beaten up by a now-deceased priest at the school in the 1980s when she was 14. "He grabbed me by the hair, dragged me along the ground for several meters, and kicked me all over my body, especially in the stomach," Perlant told weekly Paris Match in an interview, adding that she was so shocked that she wet herself. Former pupils at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school near Pau in the southwest have filed dozens of complaints against staff and religious members of the school for physical and sexual abuse. Prosecutors in Pau opened a preliminary investigation early last year but said that many of the allegations fell under the statute of limitations, which is 30 years for rape and 10 years for sexual assault. Bayrou has been accused by political opponents of lying when he said he did not know about the extent of the scandal when he was education minister from 1993-1997, although some complaints had been made by then. Perlant said she had not told her father about her own experience until this week. "The real question is one of denial, at the individual and collective level. Not one of lies," Perlant said. Bayrou, who is still the mayor of Pau, sent three of his six children to the school, where his wife taught religious education. He is scheduled to be grilled by lawmakers on May 14 after they opened a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal. 'DEVASTATED' An official from Bayrou's office said the premier was in a state of shock after learning what his daughter went through, but maintained he was not at fault and did not lie, and that the scandal was being weaponised by political opponents. "He is devastated. The doting father he is has just got a big slap in the face," the official told Reuters. "Helene's account backs up what Francois Bayrou said all along: that he didn't know." Some lawmakers have floated threats of a no-confidence vote in Bayrou, who has led a centrist minority government since December last year, and could be toppled if left-wing and far-right parties unite to vote against him. Bayrou told lawmakers in February "he had never been informed of any violence, let alone sexual violence". He later said he had ordered an inspection of the school in 1996 in light of some complaints and that its findings were "reassuring". The special French court that handles cases involving government ministers, the Republic's Court of Justice, has dismissed two reports from opposition lawmakers against Bayrou, saying there was no sign of wrongdoing in his former capacity as education minister at this stage. But the court said it could re-explore the case should more details come to light. A school alumnus, whose name was not revealed, has also filed a legal complaint against Bayrou for failure to report a crime, according to French media. His education minister ordered an administrative inspection of the school in March; its findings have yet to be made public. The author of the book in which Bayrou's daughter tells her story, Alain Esquere, a former pupil at the school, is behind a social media campaign launched in 2023 to collect the stories of alleged abuse at the school between the 1950s and 2010. Contacted by Reuters, management at the school, which has been renamed Le Beau Rameau, did not immediately return a request for comment. The school has yet to make any official statement about the complaints. The scandal has fuelled a broader reckoning in France over the culture and oversight of private religious schools, particularly boarding institutions that have operated with limited transparency. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daughter of French PM reveals she was abused at scandal-hit school
By Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose and Juliette Jabkhiro PARIS (Reuters) - The daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou has described being assaulted by a priest at a Catholic school in the 1980s, echoing fellow former pupils in complaints that have prompted scrutiny of her father's time as education minister. The eldest of Bayrou's six children, Helene Perlant, 53, a teacher unknown to the public until this week, said in a book published on Thursday that she was beaten up by a now-deceased priest at the school in the 1980s when she was 14. "He grabbed me by the hair, dragged me along the ground for several meters, and kicked me all over my body, especially in the stomach," Perlant told weekly Paris Match in an interview, adding that she was so shocked that she wet herself. Former pupils at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school near Pau in the southwest have filed dozens of complaints against staff and religious members of the school for physical and sexual abuse. Prosecutors in Pau opened a preliminary investigation early last year but said that many of the allegations fell under the statute of limitations, which is 30 years for rape and 10 years for sexual assault. Bayrou has been accused by political opponents of lying when he said he did not know about the extent of the scandal when he was education minister from 1993-1997, although some complaints had been made by then. Perlant said she had not told her father about her own experience until this week. "The real question is one of denial, at the individual and collective level. Not one of lies," Perlant said. Bayrou, who is still the mayor of Pau, sent three of his six children to the school, where his wife taught religious education. He is scheduled to be grilled by lawmakers on May 14 after they opened a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal. 'DEVASTATED' An official from Bayrou's office said the premier was in a state of shock after learning what his daughter went through, but maintained he was not at fault and did not lie, and that the scandal was being weaponised by political opponents. "He is devastated. The doting father he is has just got a big slap in the face," the official told Reuters. "Helene's account backs up what Francois Bayrou said all along: that he didn't know." Some lawmakers have floated threats of a no-confidence vote in Bayrou, who has led a centrist minority government since December last year, and could be toppled if left-wing and far-right parties unite to vote against him. Bayrou told lawmakers in February "he had never been informed of any violence, let alone sexual violence". He later said he had ordered an inspection of the school in 1996 in light of some complaints and that its findings were "reassuring". The special French court that handles cases involving government ministers, the Republic's Court of Justice, has dismissed two reports from opposition lawmakers against Bayrou, saying there was no sign of wrongdoing in his former capacity as education minister at this stage. But the court said it could re-explore the case should more details come to light. A school alumnus, whose name was not revealed, has also filed a legal complaint against Bayrou for failure to report a crime, according to French media. His education minister ordered an administrative inspection of the school in March; its findings have yet to be made public. The author of the book in which Bayrou's daughter tells her story, Alain Esquere, a former pupil at the school, is behind a social media campaign launched in 2023 to collect the stories of alleged abuse at the school between the 1950s and 2010. Contacted by Reuters, management at the school, which has been renamed Le Beau Rameau, did not immediately return a request for comment. The school has yet to make any official statement about the complaints. The scandal has fuelled a broader reckoning in France over the culture and oversight of private religious schools, particularly boarding institutions that have operated with limited transparency. (Writing by Michel Rose; editing by Andrew Heavens and Philippa Fletcher)
Reuters
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Daughter of French PM reveals she was abused at scandal-hit school
PARIS, April 24 (Reuters) - The daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou has described being assaulted by a priest at a Catholic school in the 1980s, echoing fellow former pupils in complaints that have prompted scrutiny of her father's time as education minister. The eldest of Bayrou's six children, Helene Perlant, 53, a teacher unknown to the public until this week, said in a book published on Thursday that she was beaten up by a now-deceased priest at the school in the 1980s when she was 14. "He grabbed me by the hair, dragged me along the ground for several meters, and kicked me all over my body, especially in the stomach," Perlant told weekly Paris Match in an interview, adding that she was so shocked that she wet herself. Former pupils at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school near Pau in the southwest have filed dozens of complaints against staff and religious members of the school for physical and sexual abuse. Prosecutors in Pau opened a preliminary investigation early last year but said that many of the allegations fell under the statute of limitations, which is 30 years for rape and 10 years for sexual assault. Bayrou has been accused by political opponents of lying when he said he did not know about the extent of the scandal when he was education minister from 1993-1997, although some complaints had been made by then. Perlant said she had not told her father about her own experience until this week. "The real question is one of denial, at the individual and collective level. Not one of lies," Perlant said. Bayrou, who is still the mayor of Pau, sent three of his six children to the school, where his wife taught religious education. He is scheduled to be grilled by lawmakers on May 14 after they opened a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal. 'DEVASTATED' An official from Bayrou's office said the premier was in a state of shock after learning what his daughter went through, but maintained he was not at fault and did not lie, and that the scandal was being weaponised by political opponents. "He is devastated. The doting father he is has just got a big slap in the face," the official told Reuters. "Helene's account backs up what Francois Bayrou said all along: that he didn't know." Some lawmakers have floated threats of a no-confidence vote in Bayrou, who has led a centrist minority government since December last year, and could be toppled if left-wing and far-right parties unite to vote against him. Bayrou told lawmakers in February "he had never been informed of any violence, let alone sexual violence". He later said he had ordered an inspection of the school in 1996 in light of some complaints and that its findings were "reassuring". The special French court that handles cases involving government ministers, the Republic's Court of Justice, has dismissed two reports from opposition lawmakers against Bayrou, saying there was no sign of wrongdoing in his former capacity as education minister at this stage. But the court said it could re-explore the case should more details come to light. A school alumnus, whose name was not revealed, has also filed a legal complaint against Bayrou for failure to report a crime, according to French media. His education minister ordered an administrative inspection of the school in March; its findings have yet to be made public. The author of the book in which Bayrou's daughter tells her story, Alain Esquere, a former pupil at the school, is behind a social media campaign launched in 2023 to collect the stories of alleged abuse at the school between the 1950s and 2010. Contacted by Reuters, management at the school, which has been renamed Le Beau Rameau, did not immediately return a request for comment. The school has yet to make any official statement about the complaints. The scandal has fuelled a broader reckoning in France over the culture and oversight of private religious schools, particularly boarding institutions that have operated with limited transparency.
