In brief
As a parliamentary inquiry unfolds, Prime Minister François Bayrou claims ignorance of abuse allegations at Notre-Dame de Bétharram school, despite growing pressure and accusations following multiple legal complaints.
In a dramatic parliamentary inquiry held on Wednesday, Prime Minister François Bayrou faced tough questioning regarding allegations of physical and sexual violence linked to a private Catholic school in southwest France, with which he shares considerable ties. Bayrou, whose political career includes a stint as education minister during the 1990s, declared under oath that he had never been made aware of such abuses until reading about them in the media.The Notre-Dame de Bétharram school has recently been the center of controversy, with over 200 legal complaints pointing to incidents of abuse, sexual assault, and rape occurring between 1957 and 2004. As the accusations escalated, Bayrou, who has had three children attend the school, has come under mounting pressure to resign. In a striking contradiction to his earlier statement in February to the National Assembly, where he asserted he had never been informed about any violent behavior at the institution, Bayrou acknowledged a past inspection he ordered after a supervisor assaulted a student in 1996. The inquiry intensified when Bayrou’s own daughter, Hélène Perlant, revealed to the press that she had endured physical abuse from a priest at the school during her childhood.The tense parliamentary session was disrupted by interruptions and exchanges of accusations, showcasing the scrutiny Bayrou is facing from both the opposition and his political rivals. At times defensive and visibly flustered, Bayrou insinuated that the unfolding “scandal” is being manipulated by political adversaries aiming to exploit the situation for their gain.
