The president of the High Council for Equality (HCE), Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, is accused of having made sexist and racist remarks in contradiction with the values defended by the consultative body, according to an internal letter revealed by Médiapart and consulted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) Monday May 6.
Contacted by AFP, the president of this body attached to Matignon “formally contests” the accusations made against her, denounces a “desire to destabilize” the body and its “abolitionist and universalist” line, and lets it be known that she is considering to file a complaint.
The management team is notably accused of having made “violent comments in a tone of humor contributing to trivializing and disseminating rape culture and making victims feel guilty”, “stigmatizing comments for LGBTQIA people reiterated despite warnings on the subject”, or even “racist and Islamophobic remarks”.
In a six-page letter dated January 2, 2024, employees of the HCE general secretariat say they have “frequently witnessed comments bordering on legality made by the president and co-presidents.” “The president takes no precautions to avoid offending her interlocutors in the team but also in public,” we can read.
Eight sick leaves in 18 months
More generally, the internal letter warns of “a certain number of internal dysfunctions which have gradually led to the establishment of a harmful working environment and the emergence of collective unhappiness. » He reports eight sick leaves in 18 months and several early departures “directly linked to the situation described”.
“We have been attentive and listened to employees” and “we are keen to find solutions that can satisfy them and allow us to work in the service of women’s rights”, reacts Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, in a statement to the AFP. According to her, these accusations are part of "a desire to destabilize the HCE, our universalist and abolitionist line, and the areas of work that are ours, the fight against the exploitation of women, the violence and inequalities of which they are victims, the deleterious effects of patriarchy”.
Created in 2013 under the five-year term of François Hollande, the HCE is notably responsible for drafting each year a report on the state of sexism in France and evaluating public policies on equality between women and men.
