François Bayrou called the spokesperson for the collective of victims of Notre-Dame de Bétharram and assured him of wanting to give “means” to advance the investigation.
François Bayrou has been in turmoil since Mediapart revealed, letters and testimonies in support, that he was aware of the physical and sexual violence committed against the students of Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a Catholic college-lycée Located near Pau. If he denies having been aware of the assaults and rapes committed within the establishment for more than 50 years according to the accusations and complaints filed – a position he still maintains -, the Prime Minister and Mayor of Pau made a first gesture.
According to “Here Béarn Bigorre”François Bayrou called Wednesday February 12 Alain Esquerre, spokesperson for the collective of victims of the school which enriched the file and accompanied several complainants. If the exact course of the appeal is not known, the Prime Minister would have promised “means” to advance the investigation, opened in February 2024. Given the media storm and the calls to resign from LFI, this blow of thread could be a way for the tenant of Matignon to appease the situation.
The southwest media does not specify if François Bayrou returned to his position, ultimately indicating that he had heard of certain abuses perpetrated at Notre-Dame de Bétharram. This hypothesis seems unlikely after the Prime Minister’s statements in the National Assembly on Tuesday, February 11: “The accusers say: he could not ignore. I was never informed of anything, of violence, nor of Sexual violence.
“It goes beyond understanding”
Despite the repeated denials of the Prime Minister, Alain Esquerre assured on Franceinfo the day after the appeal that the mayor of Pau “knew the violence” committed on the students of the private establishment – where François Bayrou had also educated some of his children. “It’s obvious.” However, he nuances: François Bayrou “may not know the level of violence” in the college-lycée. “How can François Bayrou or the entire local population imagine such acts? It is not possible, it goes beyond understanding,” said Alain Esquerre.
And if the children of François Bayrou attended violence during their schooling, perhaps they did not talk about it at home. “It was difficult to speak to local notables,” deplores the spokesman for the victims of the school. According to him, “one of François Bayrou’s sons was in the class” of the victim who lost 40% of his hearing after a blow to his face by a supervisor.