Hearing on the Bétharram affair: François Bayrou far from being “out of the woods”
The exchanges on Wednesday, May 14, at the National Assembly between the Prime Minister and the commission of inquiry into the physical and sexual violence case were extremely tense. François Bayrou presented his defense with virulence “after months of clumsy little words,” but this does not change the fact that he is “on the ropes,” according to the foreign press.
A “long hearing,” according to Politico , “a long and tense interrogation,” according to La Vanguardia , a “stormy moment, punctuated by interruptions, accusations and counter-accusations,” according to The New York Times . On Wednesday, May 14, François Bayrou was questioned late in the afternoon by the parliamentary commission of inquiry into violence in schools, and particularly the Bétharram affair. Or rather, as Le Temps points out, in Switzerland , he was “ grilled for more than… five hours.”
The scandal surrounding accusations of physical and sexual violence at the Béarn school has been growing for months, and the Prime Minister is under pressure. Many foreign press outlets have covered the discussions between the head of government and the two rapporteurs, Paul Vannier (La France Insoumise, LFI) and Violette Spillebout (Renaissance), and the other members of the committee.
On the benches of the Assembly, François Bayrou had to “live through the worst hours since his appointment to Matignon,” writes La Vanguardia . The atmosphere quickly turned into a political confrontation. The Prime Minister, “always combative and extremely furious at times,” o
Courrier International
