Female politicians in France say 'never again' to sexual harassment

There was a time when France sniggered at the sex scandals that periodically enlivened British or American politics. “Jamais ici”, they would say. "We are relaxed about sex, unlike the prudish and hypocritical Anglo-Saxons.” But the male-dominated world of French politics,
for so long immune to scandal, is abruptly having to deal with serial accusations of its own forms of hypocrisy and prudishness. Last week Denis Baupin, the vice-president (deputy speaker) of the national assembly, resigned to fight allegations that he had groped or sexually harassed eight female colleagues in the past 15 years. He denies the accusations en bloc .

Last Tuesday the finance minister, Michel Sapin, one of the most senior members of the government, was forced, after serial denials, to admit that he had behaved in an “inappropriate” way towards a female journalist at the Davos international forum last year. The woman bent over to recover a fallen pen. It is alleged that Mr Sapin reached out and twanged the elastic of her knickers .

 Now 16 female former cabinet ministers from all parts of the political spectrum have published a joint statement swearing “never to remain silent again” about aggressive sexual behaviour by male colleagues.