The accusations of rape and sexual assault, launched by two women against the new Minister of Solidarity – who contests them –, Damien Abad, and revealed by MediapartSaturday, May 21, should not have surprised his political family or the government: his former party, Les Républicains, like that of the Head of State, Renaissance (ex-La République en Marche), had been warned since the beginning of the week.
« Chloe [prénom d’emprunt de l’une des deux accusatrices] contacted us and sent a letter, asking us to pass it on to them, which we did last Monday. They never read it.” summarizes Fiona Texeire, former parliamentary collaborator in the Senate and co-founder of the Observatory of sexist and sexual violence in politics. Born from a hashtag – #metoopolitique – on Twitter, followed by a forum in The world in November 2021, the Observatory, now constituted as an association, brings together elected officials and collaborators tired of the impunity enjoyed by sexism and sexual violence within the political world.
“We try to make information that is sometimes known locally visible, to relay the words of women. And we also do a more discreet job of guiding the women who contact us,” details Mme Texeire. This is what happened with Damien Abad, even if several leaders of the majority, from Christophe Castaner to Stanislas Guerini, say they did not consult their e-mail box in time.
“Form of omerta”
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirms that it has also been “recipient, on May 20, of a report from the Observatory of gender-based and sexual violence”, who is ” Analyzing “, without specifying whether he himself transmitted this report to the government. The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, assured, Sunday, to have “not aware” charges. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, two complaints were however filed by one of the two accusers. The first was dismissed in April 2012 “due to the complainant’s failure to act”. The second gave rise to a preliminary investigation, also dismissed, in December 2017, “failure of a sufficiently serious offence”.
The case is symbolic of the limits of the #metoo movement in the political world. “The liberation of speech is a reality, the problem is that there was no liberation of listening, laments Fiona Texeire. In all political families, when something comes out, it is rare that everyone is surprised. Yet very little is done and these men can experience meteoric political rises. »
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