The traditional session of questions to the government in the National Assembly was marked on Tuesday by a pass of arms between the deputy of the majority Aurore Bergé and the Nupes group after the president of the Renaissance group made reference to the Adrien affair. Quatennens, who admitted having slapped his wife.
Without ever naming Adrien Quatennens, Aurore Bergé mentioned the case, causing an outcry on the LFI benches. “For several weeks, we have praised the virtue of those who recognize domestic violence. For several weeks, we have heard those who express their affection for a man who hits his wife. For several weeks, we have been ignoring the basic rules of the rule of law, we are discrediting police officers and gendarmes who, at the risk of their lives, intervene after reports of domestic violence, “said the MP to the applause of her group. , adding that only legal action could “put an end” to the suffering of the victims.
The tirade sparked an uproar on the benches of Nupes. “I believe that this subject deserves better than scandals and I am sorry that you recognize yourselves so well in the remarks that I expressed”, continued Aurore Bergé under the boos of her colleagues on the left. “Yes we must do better and that starts with our attitudes, with the words we use, with respecting the victims, being clear with our rule of law”, concluded the MP forced to raise her voice.
Protests and feminist sign
To drown out the Nupes protests, the majority deputies again stood and applauded. The President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet issued a call to order with entry in the minutes against the deputy Nupes Danièle Obono responsible according to her, for having “inveighed” the Assembly and the presidency. In the midst of this electric atmosphere, Green MP Sandrine Rousseau stood up and made the feminist sign of a uterus with her hands.
“It shows how much they don’t care about this issue (domestic violence). For them it is a communication tool. We have been engaged in these struggles for years. We are activists for the cause of women, for the fight against violence against women. Everyone saw the absolutely indecent manipulation of Ms. Bergé (…) and I hope everyone will wait for them at the turn”, reacted Danièle Obono during the interruption of the session.
“For days now, the news has revolved around what is called l’affaire Quatennens or the Bayou case (…) There is an oversaturation on a subject that does not directly concern the daily life of the French (…) we are reaching a level where the French can only drop out compared to what we are saying”, for his part estimated the deputy Nupes of Seine-Saint-Denis Clémentine Autain.
The deputy of the North Adrien Quatennens was forced to withdraw from his function of national coordinator of LFI after having admitted to having slapped his wife, on the background of “difficult divorce”. Several executives of his party have been criticized for not having clearly condemned his gesture. Jean-Luc Mélenchon initially gave him his support and LFI deputy Manuel Bompard was accused of minimizing this gesture by declaring that a slap was “not equal to a man who beats his wife every day”. The wife of Adrien Quatennens filed a complaint against him Monday in Lille.