Julien Bayou Denounces Former Party, Calls for Innocence Acknowledgment
Paris, France – Former Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV) leader Julien Bayou, who faced allegations of moral harassment and abuse of weakness, has declared that he "expects nothing further" from his ex-party, which he "no longer recognizes."
Bayou’s comments came during a press conference in Paris, alongside his attorney, Marie Dosé, following the dismissal of a complaint against him by the Paris prosecutor’s office due to "lack of evidence."
"Today, within the leadership, the slightest whisper is enough to cause people to collapse, out of fear of I know not what," Bayou asserted. "They are afflicted with timidity, mediocrity, cowardice, and baseness."
Bayou emphasized his innocence after two internal party investigations and the judicial inquiry. The first investigation, initiated after a letter from his former partner in July 2022, concluded without further action due to a lack of corroborating testimonies. The second investigation, assigned to a law firm, sought testimonies from 12,000 individuals within the party’s leadership.
Despite the findings, Bayou resigned as party leader amidst the initial internal investigation and left the Ecologists altogether when the second inquiry commenced.
Bayou criticized the handling of the allegations as a "disgusting, detestable procedure, deliberately orchestrated by the leadership of the Ecologists." The investigation, he argued, "failed to determine whether any acts contrary to the law or internal regulations were committed."
"In any party, in any democracy, this would amount to declaring someone ‘innocent,’ perhaps even apologizing," Bayou stated. "However, that is not the path chosen by the party’s leadership."
A letter, signed by approximately 100 Ecologist activists, called on the leadership to affirm Bayou’s innocence and apologize. Bayou, however, cautioned against dismissing the #MeToo movement in light of the false accusations against him. "Just because one person has lied does not mean that all complaints should be discredited," he stressed, emphasizing that he would not allow anyone to exploit his situation to undermine feminism.
Bayou maintained that the court’s decision did not negate the suffering of his accuser. "It does not even necessarily mean that she was not a victim," he clarified. "But not mine."
Convinced that the accusations would persist, Bayou urged the media to exercise discretion and refrain from reporting "everything and anything." He confirmed that he had filed a defamation lawsuit and took a veiled jab at Deputy Sandrine Rousseau, who had questioned the internal investigation’s findings.
Bayou’s attorney, Marie Dosé, expressed concern about delegating investigations into personal lives to law firms or consultants. "This could happen to anyone tomorrow," she warned.
The announcement of Bayou’s innocence has sparked mixed reactions. Some Ecologist members, such as Deputy David Cormand, have expressed relief and support for their former colleague. Conversely, Rousseau and others have maintained that the accusations should not be dismissed outright, calling for continued vigilance against all forms of harassment.
As the political and legal ramifications of the case unfold, Julien Bayou’s allegations of wrongdoing within the Ecologist party have cast a shadow over the organization, leading to calls for greater transparency and accountability in handling sensitive matters.
