Paris (AFP)

The broadcast of intimate videos prompted Benjamin Griveaux to give up running for mayor of Paris on Friday. Two days after the thunderbolt of his withdrawal, here is what we know about this politically and judicially affected affair:

. What are we talking about ?

Friday morning, Benjamin Griveaux, 42, announced that he was withdrawing from the race for mayor of Paris. The renunciation of the ex-candidate LREM, one of the pillars of Macronie, is the consequence of the dissemination on the internet of intimate videos.

Originally, the videos addressed to a woman of a man masturbating - whose face is invisible, but attributed to Benjamin Griveaux - were put online Wednesday evening on a site created ad hoc and since become inaccessible.

Initially shared by a handful of politicians in private messages, they were then relayed on social networks, in particular by ex-LREM MP Joachim Son-Forget.

On Saturday afternoon, Benjamin Griveaux filed a complaint against X and the Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation.

. Who is behind this broadcast?

As of Friday morning, a protesting Russian artist, Piotr Pavlenski, claimed to be at the origin of the publication of the incriminated videos. He justifies it by denouncing the "hypocrisy" of Benjamin Griveaux.

The latter "used his family by presenting himself as an icon for all fathers and husbands in Paris. He propagated traditional family values," said the Russian.

This man, a political refugee in France since May 2017, has already dealt with French justice for having set fire to the facade of a branch of the Banque de France in October of the same year, as part of an "artistic performance" . He was sentenced in January 2019 to three years in prison, two of which were suspended.

He was placed in police custody Saturday afternoon, as part of another investigation opened for violence committed on the evening of December 31 in a Parisian apartment. She was suspended on Sunday to allow her to question him about the Griveaux case in the context of another police custody. In total, there cannot be more than 48 hours in police custody from the start of the first, that is until Monday afternoon.

In his country, the 35-year-old artist, who became known for shocking "performances" such as sewing his lips in support of the protest group Pussy Riot, had already set fire to one of the doors. from Lubyanka, the historic seat of the Russian security services, in May 2015. After seven months in pretrial detention, he had been fined in a decision of rare leniency for Russian justice.

Benjamin Griveaux's lawyer, Richard Malka, denounced Saturday evening the "grotesque" justification of Mr. Pavlenki.

"What I see is that an individual, who is obviously quite troubled, claims the facts but that, obviously also, he cannot be the only one involved given the cost of this as an operation, his mastery of the French language, it cannot be all alone ", he added on LCI.

. Did Piotr Pavlenski act alone?

Since Saturday evening, his partner has also been placed in police custody, this time specifically in the context of the investigation concerning the videos in question. According to a source familiar with the matter, she was the recipient of the videos.

This woman is in police custody for "invasion of the intimacy of the private life" and "diffusion without the agreement of the person of images with sexual character", one learned with the parquet floor of Paris.

The lawyer of Piotr Pavlenski, Me Juan Branco, explained Friday to have been "approached" by the artist to "have a legal opinion on the situation" and "to verify the reliability" of the video before its diffusion. However, he denied any role in the disclosure of the video.

Since 2016 and the adoption of the law "for a digital Republic", the dissemination of "porn revenge" or "pornographic revenge" is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of 60,000 euros in France.

. What political consequences?

The renunciation of Benjamin Griveaux forced the presidential party and its centrist allies to find another candidate to try to conquer the town hall of Paris, less than a month before the election.

Meetings are taking place this weekend at LREM headquarters to reach a consensus on a successor and the objective is to have a candidate on Monday, while the deadline for depositing the lists is February 27.

Among the names cited are those of ex-Minister Mounir Mahjoubi, the spokesperson for the LREM group in the Senate Julien Bargeton, and that of his counterpart in the Assembly Sylvain Maillard. The name of the Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn, is circulating, even if this option is considered almost impossible because of her busy schedule.

© 2020 AFP