He was the French star of the television news of the private channel TF1, before being accused of rape, assault and sexual harassment. Women, including alleged victims of Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, are launching an association on social networks to break the omerta in the French media.
The case had arisen in February, after a complaint for rape of the French writer Florence Porcel. Seven other complaints and 23 testimonies then targeted the former star presenter of the TF1 newspaper, nicknamed in France “PPDA”.
At the end of June, after four months of investigation, the courts dismissed the investigation of these complaints because of “prescription” or “insufficient evidence” concerning charges contested by PPDA.
But the case returned to center stage on Tuesday, with the publication in the daily Release detailed testimonies of eight women, including seven speaking with their faces uncovered, who decided to respond to the former star of the newspaper of the 1990s and 2000s, after a controversial interview with him.
In a program broadcast in March, the 73-year-old journalist, questioned about the charges against him, had mentioned “little kisses on the neck, sometimes little compliments or sometimes charm or seduction”. “This behavior is no longer accepted by the younger generations or by a certain number of younger generations. If you want my opinion, I regret it. I may have dredged, but I have never done heavy dredging, ”he continued.
Listening and support
Among the co-founders of the association, which will be born in the coming days, the former TV presenter Hélène Devynck, Cécile Thimoreau, former journalist at TF1, and Muriel Reus, former executive of TF1.
“We want to provide listening, protection and support, especially legal if necessary,” explained Wednesday Emmanuelle Dancourt, columnist on the RMC channel, who is also one of the co-founders of the structure so far known as the name #MeTooMedias.
“We want an association that is open to everyone, not just women” and that it covers “the media in a broad way,” she explains.
The structure is also designed as “an umbrella so that non-prescribed victims of Patrick Poivre d’Arvor finally dare to come out of the woods”, adds the journalist, specifying that lawyers are also associated with the initiative.
According to Release, the writer Florence Porcel intends to file a new complaint with the constitution of civil party, for non-prescribed facts. This could lead to the opening of a judicial inquiry, entrusted to an investigating judge.