This Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Nicolas Hulot announced his final withdrawal from “public life” … after being accused of sexual assault, rape and harassment by several women. “I am leaving public life for good. Quite simply because I am disgusted” said the former minister and environmentalist before denouncing “purely false statements”.
In the process, we learned that one of the victims would be the daughter of a former minister of the Jospin government. The other women, for their part, testified in an unpublished issue of the program “Envoy Special”, broadcast this Thursday, November 25, 2021 on France 2. Contacted by Élise Lucet and his team, Nicolas Hulot refused to answer their questions. a camera but on the other hand agreed to speak for a few minutes with the famous journalist. The excerpt from this conversation dating from November 9 was therefore broadcast and this is what we can hear.
When Élise Lucet informs him that the accusations are heavy and that his version of the facts is expected, the ecologist expresses his disgust: “I have never had ambiguous relationships. I mean, I’ve had stories with no tomorrow, like everyone else. But, I don’t even want to defend myself, that doesn’t interest me anymore, it’s not a question of recognizing, I don’t even have the strength anymore. I don’t want to defend myself. In any case, the words of the people questioned today are, in fact, distorted and suspect. “
“What good is it? How much weight is my word going to have in today’s context? And how do you want me to remember? I remember mostly what I never did. I never in my life forced into it. anything, anyone. Never, neither close nor by force. like that since the dawn of time “ adds the distraught ecologist.
The journalist then explains to him that some alleged victims speak of trauma and Nicolas Hulot then answers: “I’m not going to tell you, I’m not going to counterattack that they’re all liars, stuff like that. I don’t know. What I do know is that I haven’t. never done. But when you’re innocent like I am, innocent in a way you can’t even imagine. You’re trapped anyway, no matter what you say, speech is suspect. . There you go. We cannot defend ourselves. We cannot defend ourselves. Because in this legitimate, necessary struggle of women, the word of women is sacred, and there you have it “.
Eleanor de la Fontaine