Olivier Faure and Sandrine Rousseau demand the departure of Damien Abad from the government

Europe 1 with AFP 11:18 a.m., May 23, 2022

The First Secretary of the PS Olivier Faure wished Monday the departure of the government of Damien Abad, accused of rape, calling to "respect the word of women".

"If I were Prime Minister, I would say to Damien Abad: 'I have no particular reason to think that women lie, because I don't see the reasons that would motivate them to do so. There is a doubt that exists today. The word of women must be respected. So, pending a court decision, I hope that you are not in government,'" he said on France Inter about the newly appointed Minister of Solidarity.

The question of the precautionary principle highlighted

Olivier Faure mentioned a "precautionary measure" which "does not call into question the presumption of innocence".

For Sandrine Rousseau, finalist in the EELV primary, "the question is not his resignation, but the fact that he is dismissed from his post as a precautionary principle".

"I think Elisabeth Borne should tell him that he has no place (at the Council of Ministers, editor's note) and that it is not a question of personal resignation. She must take her responsibilities".

We have to send a strong enough message to women, that their word counts.

It's not just a rumor, there is a complaint that has been filed.

Obviously, LREM was aware, obviously the cabinet of Elisabeth Borne was informed before the release of the article", she added on RTL Monday.

Jacob claims to have "never been seized"

For his part, Éric Zemmour, candidate Reconquest!

presidential guest on Cnews, said he was "suspicious" and "doubtful about the methods of Mediapart which seeks permanent information", positioning himself against "the precautionary principle" but in favor of "respect for the presumption of 'innocence".

Christian Jacob, president LR, assured him at Point that he had "never been seized, neither by the Observatory of sexual and gender-based violence nor by the services of the National Assembly".

He underlined that in the face of "rumors of a complaint filed (...) in 2017", Damien Abad "replied that all of this was false and that he had never been summoned by justice".

Charges refuted by Damien Abad

Appointed Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy and Disabled People, Damien Abad, himself disabled, faces serious accusations of rape in an article published Saturday by Médiapart, which he denies "with the greatest force" .

READ ALSO

- The new government weakened by the accusations against Damien Abad

According to the news site, two women, whose testimony the newspaper collected, accuse Damien Abad, 42, of rape in 2010 and 2011. A report was made last week to LR, LREM and the justice system which says analyze it.

The Paris prosecutor's office has already dismissed two complaints in 2012 and 2017 from one of the complainants.