Former environmentalist leader Julien Bayou, accused by his ex-partner of “psychological violence”, resigned from Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) and his group in the Assembly, AFP learned on Tuesday with the party, confirming information from franceinfo. The 43-year-old MP, who has withdrawn since a complaint filed by his ex-partner in early March, announced that he was leaving the party and the group in an email.
EELV had announced a little earlier the opening of an external investigation by a firm specializing in gender-based and sexual violence, “with legal expertise”, in order to “establish a report”. This investigation is “the last straw” too many, while Julien Bayou “has already submitted to an internal investigation” and will be heard by the courts, denounced those around him. “He had withdrawn, hoping to be able to defend himself in court” and then to be able to come back cleared. “He understands that he will not be reinstated,” we added.
Suspended since March 7
On the side of the party leadership, we highlight, in an internal message, the need to “objectivize things and allow people who have not spoken until now” to express themselves. As soon as his ex-partner filed a complaint and following “various information in our possession”, the party’s executive office decided on March 7 to suspend Julien Bayou as a precautionary measure, it was added.
Concerning a possible definitive expulsion, the Ile-de-France regional political council of EELV, to which the Paris deputy depends, was due to decide on April 27. The boss of environmentalists Marine Tondelier assured AFP that the aim of the new investigation carried out against Julien Bayou “is not to overwhelm him” but to have “objective facts”. She explains, in another message to members, having “received, since Julien’s suspension, several new testimonies of inappropriate behavior”.
For their part, members had threatened to carry out a militant strike for the European campaign, taking offense that the environmentalist deputies had not suspended Julien Bayou during a vote on March 27. The qualified majority of 60% of the group’s workforce, necessary to officially suspend it, had not been reached.