Bétharram Affair: Marine Tondelier Believes François Bayrou "Should Resign" After His Hearing

Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of the Greens, believes that François Bayrou's hearing regarding the Bétharram affair was "null and void" and believes that the Prime Minister "should resign over this," she declared on Sunday, May 18, on BFMTV.

"I can tell you that François Bayrou has not convinced me for a single second since he became Prime Minister, and especially not during this laborious commission of inquiry," said Marine Tondelier.

For the leader of the Green Party, François Bayrou "is lucky to have been heard; the children we're talking about weren't heard when they tried to speak out." Marine Tondelier denounced the Prime Minister's position, claiming that the purpose of her hearing was to "corner him and force him to resign."

"A commission of inquiry or police custody is not a pleasant moment, it's good that he realizes it," believes the national secretary of the Ecologists, who adds that "he is not the victim of all this, it's even indecent to claim that."

Asked about the position of Alain Esquerre, spokesperson for the Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram victims' collective, who believes that François Bayrou's resignation "is not the central issue in [his] fight," Marine Tondelier concedes that "Bétharram is becoming the tree that hides the forest of child protection."

"Bétharram is a mirror held up to our society, to the way it takes care of its children," continues the environmentalist, who points out that "every week, a child dies at the hands of their parents" and that "every three seconds, a child is the victim of rape, incest, or sexual assault in this country." "We never talk about it," she regrets.

On the other hand, this "does not exonerate François Bayrou from anything," because "what he did is serious," believes the leader of the Greens, who continues to call for the head of government's resignation. "Either he lied in front of the national assembly, or he has cognitive dysfunction. Both situations present a challenge for a prime minister," she concludes.