French PM's Daughter Claims Abuse Amid Ongoing School Scandal

Hélène Perlant, daughter of French Prime Minister François Bayrou, has publicly alleged that she was physically assaulted by a priest at Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a private Catholic school now at the center of a major abuse scandal in France. Perlant described being violently beaten at age 14 during a summer camp in the 1980s, an experience she kept from her father for decades. The scandal involves over 200 complaints of physical and sexual abuse at the school from 1957 to 2004, with accusations including group rape and serious violence by priests and staff. Bayrou, who had three children at the school and whose wife taught there, denies any knowledge of the abuse, though reports and witness statements have raised questions about whether he ignored warnings. The revelations, detailed in an upcoming book by survivors and highlighted in interviews, have intensified political pressure on Bayrou, with calls for his resignation and a state investigation into his actions. The case reflects broader concerns about abuse in French Catholic institutions and the challenges of accountability for those in power.