Last year, Vanessa Springora, a publisher, accused Gabriel Matzneff, an award-winning author, of abusing her when she was a minor. He had never hidden himself having sex with boys and girls in his teens, but for a long time he liked the complacency of his literary entourage.
In 2019, Adèle Haenel, a movie star, accused a director, Christophe Ruggia, of harassing her sexually when she was a teenager. Haenel left France’s César film prize last year, when director Roman Polanski, wanted in the United States for rape involving a 13-year-old girl, won the best director.
Mrs. Kouchner is frank about her anger at this artistic world, centered, as she sees it, on the elegant districts of Paris’ left bank. “Very quickly,” she writes, “the microcosm of those in power, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, was informed. Many people knew and most pretended that nothing had happened. ”She continues:“ This silence is not just cowardice. Some love to be quiet. This obligation attests to your belonging to a particular world. “
It was unclear who exactly she was referring to and she offered no proof.
Attitudes may be beginning to change. The French public prosecutor said immediately that he was opening an investigation into Duhamel for child rape and sexual assault. He said the investigation would examine whether the crimes Duhamel is accused of fall within France’s statute of limitations and would also examine the possibility of other victims.
Sciences Po issued a statement condemning “all forms of sexualized violence” and declaring “its shock and astonishment” at the “very serious charges against Olivier Duhamel, the former chairman of the board of trustees who runs Sciences Po”. In a message to donors, he added: “The fight against sexual and gender violence is at the heart of our institution’s essential values and actions.”
Mr. Duhamel also split from Europe 1, the radio station where he had a weekly program, and LCI, the television network where he was a regular political commentator. He deleted his Twitter account after announcing his resignation.
In the book, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, Ms. Kouchner quotes her brother telling her at the time what Mr. Duhamel had done: “He came over to my bed and said, ‘I will show you. You will see, everyone does that. ‘He stroked me and then, you know. ”Her brother, she writes, pleaded with her:“ Respect this secret. I promised him, so you promise me. If you speak, I will die. “