The resigning boss of EELV Julien Bayou, targeted by accusations of psychological violence against an ex-companion, wants to “defend” himself but in “an adversarial procedure”, his lawyer Marie Dosé claimed on Monday, castigating a “political instrumentalization”. “This vulgar unpacking is unworthy of a society as advanced as ours. And Julien Bayou notes, with bitterness and anger, the instrumentalization of the just fight against sexual and gender-based violence for political purposes”.
“Everyone knows that the congress of ecologists is being held at the end of the year, political ambition cannot justify all the crusades,” she added.
“Bayou has never exercised the slightest psychological violence”
Julien Bayou, who left his post as national secretary of EELV on Monday, “expects his party to do everything possible so that he, and others, can defend themselves (…) within the framework of an adversarial procedure,” his counsel said at a press conference. “Julien Bayou has never exercised the slightest psychological violence against his companions,” she says. The facts of which he is accused are not clearly known, no complaint has been filed and no judicial inquiry has been opened.
The case was revealed in July, when the internal cell of EELV on sexual violence and harassment, was seized. She took a new turn last week, when MP Sandrine Rousseau accused him of “behaviour likely to break the moral health of women”, and explained that he had “long received” a “very depressed” ex-companion at her home. “. She also said that “they are obviously several” to be affected by these behaviors.
Julien Bayou should speak in the coming days
“Four times, Julien Bayou asked in writing to be auditioned in front of this cell, which was purely and simply refused to him”, reprimanded Marie Dosé. He must “at least know what he is accused of”, she asked.
She pointed out that her client, “who will speak in the coming days”, had not designated her “to attack to file complaints for defamation”: “If for the instrumentalization of certain words, of certain suffering ( …) ceases, we multiply the legal proceedings, I do not know how we will get out of it”. This resignation adds a dose of chaos within EELV, where an internal referendum to simplify the organization and adapt the party to the “conquest of power”, supported by the management, was rejected this weekend by the members.