On September 19, the deputy (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, EELV) from Paris Sandrine Rousseau triggered the “Bayou affair” by declaring on France 5 that a suicide attempt had been committed by the former companion of the national secretary of the party environmentalist, implying psychological violence on the part of the latter. A week after resigning from the leadership of his party, Julien Bayou explains.
Charges of psychological violence have been brought against you, in particular by the voice of Sandrine Rousseau. What is your interpretation of this case?
There is no Bayou case. There are no charges. There is no fact underlying the anathemas I have heard. A cell self-seized following an e-mail sent to it. I am in the situation of someone innocent of the facts of which he is not accused.
I was reading The trial, by Kafka. That’s really it. There are no charges, I cannot defend myself against them, and yet I am presumed guilty. My accusers say themselves that there is nothing reprehensible.
To define psychological violence, the intention is an important element. This is based on identifiable facts: threats, intimidation, mockery, the fact of lowering the person, imposing opinions on him. There is none of that. It is a very painful break with shared suffering. I am not the intentional author of the suffering, real, of my ex-companion.
Your ex-partner has just seized the cell, evoking “toxic behavior”. Can you maintain that there is no accusation, no fact?
This is confirmation that the cell had been working in a vacuum for three months, because it had so far refused to testify, while on my side, I asked four times to be heard. If this can allow us to move forward… Still, “toxic behavior” does not mean anything or everything. To be factual, I have never committed psychological violence against my ex-partner and I intend to demonstrate it.
Why did you resign from your functions in the party and as co-president of the National Assembly?
To speak freely without engaging the collective that I respect, I had to resign. To be able to speak for me, it was first necessary that my lawyer, Mrs.e Marie Dosé, enlightens and gives an update on the procedure. I relied on his word. However, at this stage, I do not foresee any legal action.
How do you view the work of the unit, the operation of which you validated yourself during the last reform, in February 2022?
You have 70.27% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.