The major scandal of physical and sexual abuse at a French school, the Catholic institute Notre-Dame de Bétharram, has put French Prime Minister François Bayrou in a difficult position. He appeared before the commission investigating the events and his role when he served as Minister of Education between 1993 and 1997.
"I have nothing to hide", declared Bayrou defiantly during his appearance, denying knowledge of the abuses, even though his three children studied at the school and his wife taught catechism. Revelations by his daughter Hélene Perlant in Paris Match, detailing the physical punishments she received while studying at the school, have increased political pressure on her father, although she herself admitted to never revealing them to her family.
"I did not receive any information, and all I know about the case is from what has been published in the press", testified Bayrou in the National Assembly, where his testimony was followed with great anticipation. President Emmanuel Macron stated the night before that he has "full confidence" in his Prime Minister, despite reports of strained relationships and a credibility crisis he faces with Parliament and the public due to the "Bétharram scandal."
The centrist Bayrou, appointed by Macron after the fall of Michel Barnier in December, survived a vote of no confidence and narrowly secured approval of the budget at the beginning of the year. The popularity of the 73-year-old veteran Prime Minister has plummeted after five months, with only 27% of the French approving of his management.
During his testimony, Bayrou accused La France Insoumise deputy Paul Vannier of "fueling the scandal" as part of a "political destruction" campaign. The Prime Minister even questioned the "objectivity" of the commission, although he stressed the importance of the investigation to uncover the truth about the boys and girls who have been victims of physical and sexual violence in French schools, which he himself described as a child abuse #MeToo.
Over 200 reports of alleged abuses at Bétharram - ranging from rape to torture and physical punishments - had been accumulated by 2018. The book The Silence of Bétharram by Alain Esquerre has brought the issue to the forefront this week, increasing political pressure on Bayrou, who also served as mayor of the neighboring town of Pau. Esquerre, however, argues that Bayrou probably was not aware of the abuses, but he concludes that what happened represents "a failure of the State" in protecting minors.