Sophie Tissier, a former figure of «yellow vests», announced that she had made a report to LFI’s sexual violence monitoring committee. She also filed a «pre-complaint» and is considering a complaint.
After a tweet at midday, she described at the start of the evening on BFMTV «inappropriate gestures, wandering hands», during an evening organized by the party in 2014, evoking «a salacious, sticky look», and during the dance evening «a clumsy flirt», an «outrageous, offensive, harassing» behavior on the part of the deputy.
According to Ms. Tissier, Eric Coquerel also sent him text messages offering to take him to his hotel.
«It was not a physical attack in the sense that there was no physical violence», she judged, «but the harassment was still traumatic».
«I don’t want him to go so far as to resign», but «that he recognize the facts, that he hears what I have to say and says yes it’s true, I had inappropriate behaviors,” she added.
Sophie Tissier also said she spoke about it openly in the party, in particular to LFI MEP Leila Chaibi and press officer Juliette Prados.
Asked before on BFMTV, Mr. Coquerel had again challenged any inappropriate behavior towards women and started a counter-offensive: «I will look at the file, I will see. I do not rule out filing a complaint for defamation», a- he said, considering about his accuser that «there will be no complaint» and that «it will make pschitt».
– Mélenchon denounces «slander» –
In addition, «the movement now plans to file a complaint against all the people who spread slander (…) on social networks», added Mr. Coquerel: «even a cause just like
He finally rejected any parallel between his situation and that of Minister Damien Abad who is the subject of a judicial inquiry after a complaint for attempted rape – and whom Eric Coquerel believes should leave the government.
Eric Coquerel also defended his innocence in a column in the Journal du Dimanche, claiming to have «never exercised violence or physical or psychological coercion to obtain a report, which characterizes the gateway to criminal behavior in the area of gender-based and sexual violence».
The leader of LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon supported Mr. Coquerel on his blog at the end of the day, denouncing an «infamous slander operation» and saying his «disgust» at «this vile baseness».
After the votes of LREM deputies for RN candidates for key positions in the National Assembly, he considered that the accusations were «opportunly relayed without restraint, investigation or verification of any kind» and had «allowed to to talk about something else «, attacking in particular a journalist from BFMTV.
He considered it «urgent to rid» the fight against gender-based and sexual violence «of people who have made it a means of instrumentalizing their political resentment against LFI».
The leader of the LREM deputies, Aurore Bergé, reacted to the initiative of Sophie Tissier by estimating to the Grand Jury RTL-Le Figaro-LCI that it was «in no case internally political parties that must settle such important cases. It is justice that must be seized if there are complaints.»
«I think there is variable indignation on the part of the left» on the issue of sexual violence, mocked the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella, interviewed by Europe 1, CNews and Les Echos.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the new LREM president of the National Assembly, judged it «sad» that Eric Coquerel «needed» to publicly defend himself against the allegations against him.
«We must absolutely keep right, all, collectively. The machine must not get carried away around rumours. I invite each victim to file a complaint», she launched on France 3.