"The government's position on this issue is constant. We will never accept a society of opacity or complacency. And we don't want a society of inquisition either. So what is at stake is that? is to facilitate and support the release of speech, the collection of complaints, the efficiency of justice, "said the Head of State in the Council of Ministers, participants reported, confirming information from several media .

"We have done a lot for this, and we will continue to act resolutely in this direction," added Emmanuel Macron, speaking for the first time since the broadcast last Thursday by France 2 of an investigation in which several women accused of rape and sexual assault the former minister and TV host.

TV star host, ardent defender of the environmental cause for more than 30 years, ill at ease and ephemeral minister, Nicolas Hulot, 66, has been accused several times in recent years of sexual assault.

He has always denied these accusations.

The Paris prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation on Friday.

Nicolas Hulot had announced on Wednesday, the day before the broadcast, to leave public life "definitively", to protect his relatives and his Foundation from the fallout of a "lynching".

In total, it is at least six women, including one underage at the time of the facts, who implicate him.

The opposition questioned the executive, including several ministers, such as Marlène Schiappa, who was at the time Secretary of State for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination.

They had defended their colleague, in 2018 after the revelation of a complaint for rape which had finally been dismissed because of the exceeded statute of limitations.

Asked about this complaint for rape of Pascale Mitterrand, the granddaughter of ex-President François Mitterrand, the government spokesman explained on November 26 that at the time, there had "been support for the 'Rule of law, the presumption of innocence ".

"Today", argued Mr. Attal, "there are additional testimonies which are added, which were not known at the time".

© 2021 AFP