Outrage as French MP convicted of domestic violence returns to parliament

A French hard-left lawmaker sparked outrage on Tuesday as he was reinstated into his parliamentary group following a suspended four-month prison sentence for slapping his wife.

The France Unbowed group in the lower-house National Assembly expelled Adrien Quatennens for four months after the ruling against him in December, saying he had to complete a domestic violence awareness course.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The 32-year-old politician returned to parliament in January, but was only accepted back into his group’s fold on Tuesday.

“The conditions for Adrien Quatennens’ reinstatement have been met,” the group said.

He “is completing a course, which he has almost finished, that meets the expected requirements.”

The Socialist Party, a key partner in left-wing opposition coalition NUPES, called the move a “political error.”

It said it was “both unacceptable and incompatible with the values that NUPES defends.”

The capital’s Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo was among those to slam the decision online.

“SHAME! There’s patriarchy for you. How can we still be here in 2023…” she wrote on Twitter.

Minister for Gender Equality Isabelle Lonvis-Rome told the LCI broadcaster that, if Quatennens resigned, “it could be a positive sign for all women.”

France has been rocked by a series of allegations of harassment or abuse against lawmakers and cabinet ministers in recent years.

Solidarities minister Damien Abad was sacked last year following accusations of sexual assault.

The Paris appeals court in January confirmed the dropping of a rape case against Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, but his accuser said she would keep fighting to have it heard.

Read more:

French left under pressure over violence against women amid accusations