Julien Bayou spoke to denounce the management of the case which led him to leave the environmentalists, pointing to a process which he considers unjust and destructive. For his part, Anaïs Leleux regrets the non -follow -up classification of his complaint and plans to seize justice differently.
Julien Bayou spoke this Friday, February 21, during a press conference in Paris. With a measured phrasing and a laid voice, the former official of environmentalists strongly criticized his ex-party, the day after the abandonment of the proceedings linked to the complaint of his former companion for abuse of weakness and moral harassment.
He points to the management of this case by the movement’s management, a file which had broken out at the end of 2022 and had led him to give up his functions as national secretary and co-president of the ecological group in the Assembly. Now turned to his career as a lawyer after having chosen not to run for a new mandate in 2024, he did not hide his bitterness.
“For fear of I don’t know what (…) They were struck with fragility, mediocrity, cowardice of baseness. It is not very serious when it comes to the life of a man (… ) But let’s measure what it means, while our country is in front of great dangers, to have a party that says of government with such febrile people at its head. -He declared, in the presence of his lawyer, Me Marie Dossé.
Marine Matondelier implicated
At the head of environmentalists since December 2022, Marine Tondelier finds herself directly implicated. To support his criticisms, Julien Bayou returned to the various procedures he was the subject of, saying that he was laundered three times.
It all started in July 2022, when Anaïs Leleux, his ex-partner, addressed an email to the internal cell of the Greens dedicated to sexist and sexual violence (CVSS), relaying accusations later revealed by Le Figaro. Sandrine Rousseau had then claimed that it was “behaviors that are likely to break the moral health of women”, “after having received very long in (Elle) the ex-partner of Julien Bayou”.
At the time, Anaïs Leleux refused to be heard by the internal cell, and no complaints or judicial investigation had been initiated. However, this did not prevent the controversy from setting up. “‘Since there was no investigation, he is not innocent’, said in particular Sandrine Rousseau and others,” said Julien Bayou, directly targeting her former colleague.
In March 2024, Anaïs Leleux had finally filed a complaint both against Julien Bayou and his former party, EELV, renamed since Environmentalists. In response, the movement had mandated a specialized firm to conduct an internal investigation into the accusations. Shortly after, Julien Bayou had decided to leave the party as well as the parliamentary group, denouncing what he considered to be an unjust relentlessness.
The ex-deputy denounces a biased investigation
During his press conference, the ex-deputy strongly criticized the progress of this investigation, which he deems deeply biased, “detestable” and “disgusting”. He reproached the approach for not relying on specific facts, but rather of soliciting testimonies in a broad manner, maintaining, according to him, a climate of generalized suspicion. “Really, I invite you to imagine in your family, professional, associative circles, which is happening when you learn that we are going to write to 10,000 members or old to ask if by chance there is not something to you reproach.
In October 2024, the party decided to stop the investigation for lack of evidence. “In any party, any democracy, it would amount to saying: it is innocent, perhaps even that we apologize. This is not what chosen to do the direction of the Party, “Julien Bayou again criticized.
Julien Bayou insisted on the importance of not instrumentalizing this case to question the feminist cause or the #MeToo movement. He nevertheless denounced a political and media excitement which, according to him, amplified the pressure and made his test even more painful.
His ex -partner could file a complaint again
For his part, Anaïs Leleux reacted in a message transmitted to AFP, regretting that several women who have testified to violence and threats were not heard by justice. She claims not to try to deceive or manipulate and evoke the psychological consequences she undergoes. She is now waiting to have access to the file before considering a possible complaint with constitution of civil party.