French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou struck a defiant tone in parliament on Wednesday, May 14, as he insisted during a tense hearing that he only knew of claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school from media reports.
Bayrou has faced opposition claims that as education minister between 1993 and 1997 he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school in southwestern France over many decades.
But on Wednesday he stuck by his previous statements and said that during his time as education minister he had "not received any information other than what was reported in the press." "I had nothing to hide," he said. He signaled his desire to cooperate, saying the inquiry into what he called the "MeToo for children" was finally taking place. "For me, this hearing is very important. It is very important for the boys and girls who have been victims of violence, particularly sexual violence, for decades," he added.
But tensions were on full display as the two co-rapporteurs of the commission, Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout, questioned Bayrou about what he knew about alleged violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school near the southwestern town of Pau where Bayrou has been mayor since 2014.
During the hearing Bayrou accused Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left La France Insoumise party (LFI), of seeking to "fuel a scandal." The French prime minister also said he did not feel that the commission was "completely objective."
Several of Bayrou's children attended the school, and his wife taught religious studies there. Bayrou has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of "destruction" against him.
Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate, was named head of government last December. He has been given the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis.
Until now Bayrou has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Bétharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining in recent weeks.
Bayrou's popularity rating has dropped below that of Macron, according to a poll published last week, with only 27% of French people approving of his work. Analysts have said Bayrou could face further pressure depending on his performance during the hearing.
"The Bétharram school scandal may not be sufficient in itself to bring down Bayrou but could embolden his parliamentary enemies, and supposed friends, to pull the plug on the government for other reasons," said the Eurasia Group. "Reasons for dissatisfaction abound," the political risk consultancy added, pointing to France's budgetary crisis.
Macron threw his support behind the embattled prime minister. "We have talked about it a lot and I know that I have confidence in him," he told TF1 television Tuesday evening, referring to the Bétharram affair.
Bayrou's statements have been contradicted by a number of people including his own daughter. In April, Bayrou's eldest daughter accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. Hélène Perlant, who is now 53 and uses her mother's name, said however that her father did not know about the incident.
Few in Bayrou's team believe that he will be brought down over the scandal. But "if he lies before parliament, he's dead," said a supporter of Macron, asking not to be named.
A Bayrou associate stressed that the prime minister was not the subject of the inquiry. The inquiry focuses on "the methods used by the state to monitor and prevent violence in schools." After hearing witnesses, victims and former ministers, the two rapporteurs plan to deliver their conclusions in June.
Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Bétharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. "The state has failed and has not protected the children of Bétharram," said Alain Esquerre, who represents a collective of school survivors.