No sector seems spared. At a time when the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu is launching an inspection mission on sexual violence in the military world, voices are being raised at the hospital. Emergency physician well-known to the media Patrick Pelloux is accused of harassment and sexual assault by infectious disease specialist Karine Lacombe. The head of infectious diseases at Saint-Antoine hospital in Paris explains in her testimony given in the columns of Paris Match and published on Wednesday, having been both a victim and a witness to these actions.
“I frequently observed and suffered acts that would today be classified as sexual assault: a hand between the thighs, touching of the breasts, ribald allusions. When I think about it…”, she says, without ever mentioning him. “I am not denouncing a particular person, I am reporting facts which illustrate the systemic side of sexual harassment in hospitals,” she explains.
But others recognized the man behind the description of an “emergency doctor known to be a sexual predator” and his identity was confirmed to journalists from Paris Match. This is Patrick Pelloux, a regular in the media sphere and former columnist for Charlie Hebdo, who also worked at the Paris hospital.
A heavy testimony
The facts reported by Karine Lacombe are poignant, like this attack which happened before her eyes: “One day, an intern has her back, he grabs her by the neck and rubs his lower abdomen against her, ‘Mmm, you Don’t wear it like that, it’s too tempting, damn it’s hot!’ The colleague smiles, embarrassed, and pushes him away.”
When it is not a violent attitude, it is a disturbing speech. “Are you being angry, were you fucked badly last night? », For example, the emergency doctor would have said. The former Minister of Health, Roselyne Bachelot, contacted by France Infoclaims to have received reports in the past concerning Patrick Pelloux regarding “harassing and humiliating management”, but not sexual violence.
The current Minister of Health Frédéric Valletoux, for his part, recalled in a message published on that “sexism and sexual violence have no place in the Hospital”. “I will soon bring together associations, employers and health professionals, in order to amplify the actions already carried out and work on a global and firm response. No deviation should be tolerated! #MeToo »
Pelloux defends himself
Karine Lacombe’s testimony triggered a wave of messages on social networks reporting similar facts at the hospital in general. The union of Paris hospital interns then decided to launch a call for testimonies, reports France Blue.
For his part, the emergency doctor defends himself from the behavior of which he is accused by recognizing “rude” behavior. “I have never attacked anyone,” he assures France Info. What we said and what we did is undoable today, that’s for sure. But we had a good laugh.” Laughs best who laughs last.