Early Monday morning, Julien Bayou announced his resignation from his post as national secretary of EELV and from the co-presidency of the environmental group in the National Assembly. The deputy for Paris considers himself “cornered” to make this choice “which he regrets”, as his lawyer indicated during a press conference on Monday afternoon. Since July, he has been the subject of a procedure led by the internal unit of EELV for the fight against sexist and sexual violence, for psychological violence on his ex-partner, whom he denies. AWhen Julien Bayou had already withdrawn from the co-presidency of the environmental group, some, like Yannick Jadot, had asked that he do the same with the party. He finally chose the double resignation.
Inevitably, there is an echo of the Quatennens affair at LFI. In particular on the unit of time: only eight days separated the “withdrawal” of his functions of Adrien Quatennens and the resignations of Julien Bayou. And it seems obvious that the first has, in a certain way, led to the second. The issue of sexist and sexual violence in politics having once again come to the fore, the affair concerning Julien Bayou, revealed in July by Le Figarologically came back to the fore via the declarations of Sandrine Rousseau in It’s up to you on France 5.
Little public support
Yet the two cases have little in common. On the merits, first of all: the first confessed, the second contests. And on the form. While Adrien Quatennens received several supports, Among the few members of EELV who respond publicly to the press, there are not many people who regret the double resignation of Julien Bayou. All of them are not equally solid on their support, but all the same. “It was the right thing to do”, judge for example the other co-president of the green group in the Assembly, Cyrielle Chatelain. Who weighs his words and does not hide the media pressure: “In cases of gender-based and sexual violence, this is the right position to have. »
“Even so, media pressure is sometimes good,” recognizes a deputy who would have been content with the withdrawal decided last week. Some nevertheless regret that this decision did not come sooner. “The step aside should have been taken from the internal cell of EELV on sexist and sexual violence”, believes Mélissa Camara, municipal councilor in Lille and possible candidate for Sandrine Rousseau’s current at the next party congress, theoretically in December.
No exceptions
This cell, precisely, took for its rank during the press conference of the lawyer of Julien Bayou, Monday. There again, little support: “It is still not abnormal that the internal unit which deals with sexual violence seizes itself when it is in copy of a suicide note. That the procedure lasts more than two months is, there too, nothing shocking, ”recalls a member of the federal council of EELV, the party parliament.
Julien Bayou in particular casts doubt by asserting that he was refused four times to be auditioned. “There is no reason to question the work of this unit, whose volunteer members are trained and do their best. The protocol is established! If there were dysfunctions, then perhaps the national secretary of the party for three years should have taken political measures…”, tackles Mélissa Camara. This protocol, precisely, provides that the respondent is questioned last. However, the ex-companion of Julien Bayou has still not been heard … And according to certain sources, she refused to be heard as long as Julien Bayou was at the head of the party.
“Inevitably, it is done in a somewhat violent way”
Before Julien Bayou’s double resignation, one of his relatives, Marine Tondelier, member of the management of EELV, made this observation in an interview for Mediapart: “These are moments of societal revolution and inevitably, it is done in a little violent, a little disturbing. I don’t pass judgment on that because maybe that’s the only condition for it to really happen. »
Far from the spirit of the pack that a part of rebellious France was able to show, by relativizing the confessions of Adrien Quatennens last week, EELV therefore seems to want to stick to its rules and principles. Not without clashes, at a time when the party is in turmoil on the edge of its congress: “This episode is, from every point of view, a disaster”, says a manager.