un man, with only a thong and socks for clothes, a ball in his mouth, tied to a rusty stool. These images, published on social networks then removed, were taken at the beginning of December in the kitchens of the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Hôtel du Palais, in Biarritz. They led to the departure, four days before Christmas, of chef Aurélien Largeau, fired by the Hyatt group, operator of the prestigious establishment.
Revealing the affair on December 27, the newspaper South West mentioned a “humiliating hazing”. Implicated, the leader denies and denounces facts “false and defamatory”. Above all, the naked man in the video, a clerk who now works in the Paris region, contests any “hazing”. Questioned by various media, he spoke of a “joke orchestrated by [lui]-even during [sa] leaving party ». And assured: “I condemn any form of mistreatment, hazing or humiliation within the brigades. »
In order to see things clearly, the Bayonne public prosecutor’s office announced, on December 28, that it had opened a preliminary investigation into sexual assault and violence.
“Hazing” appears for the first time in The world dated December 12, 1952, with an ephemeral spelling. On strike, students from the preparatory classes of the Henri-IV high school denounced the exclusion of certain comrades guilty of “bullying”. In two unsigned articles, The world lightly evokes a ” tradition “ of the “elders” : draw “superficially”with a feather or a pin, a crescent and a moon on the stomach of the rookies.
The newspaper, little sensitive to parents’ complaints, deplores a sanction “out of proportion” : “It would be unfortunate if this incident caused around ten young people to lose a year”. Quoted, the National Union of Students of France shares this line of“appeasement” : “It is good for young people to maintain hazing, but it would be dangerous if these traditions took the form of bullying. »
On May 6, 1961, the word lost its “h”, in an obituary of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who had died three days earlier. “When he was admitted to the École Normale Supérieure, traces Jean Lacroix, who for a long time kept the philosophical column of the newspaper, he protested violently against the ribald songs which were traditional. On the day of the hazing, people wanted to bully him, but an elder, admiring his courage, intervened and took him under his protection: it was Jean-Paul Sartre. »
Silence among the military
Hazing is not limited to the school environment. In 1962, the correspondent in Toulouse Louis Aigouy returned to “abuse inflicted on young recruits” from 14e parachutist fighter regiment. Among the soldiers, silence reigns. “As for the general staff, writes the journalist, he indicates that hazing scenes occur in the barracks as well as in the major schools which sometimes lead to excesses. » Louis Aigouy recalls that residents “saw soldiers brutally beaten by their leaders during maneuvers”.
You have 60% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.