Nicolas Hulot says claim in magazine that he assaulted young woman in 1990s is ‘shameful’ rumour

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The French environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, has denied a magazine report alleging that he sexually assaulted a young woman in the 1990s.



An article in the weekly magazine Ebdo, which will be published on Friday, said a 20-year-old woman from a well-known French political family had told police a sexual assault took place in 1997. The woman’s father told the magazine that his daughter “never used the word rape in front of me” and described what happened as an act under coercion.



The woman went to police in 2008, which was after the time limit for bringing a legal case. Hulot was interviewed by police and the case was closed.

Hulot, 62, denied what he called “shameful” rumours when he appeared on a French TV show on Thursday. “It hurts, when it’s wrongful and unfounded,” said the celebrity environmentalist, one of Emmanuel Macron’s most popular ministers.

He said of the alleged assault: “I was questioned at my own request and investigators very quickly concluded that there was nothing suggesting the case should be followed up.”

The magazine also claimed that a former worker at Hulot’s environment foundation had spoken about sexual harassment, which Hulot also denied. The woman, when contacted by the magazine, also “completely denied” having spoken about sexual harassment.

Hulot said he had not considered resigning. The French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, issued a statement of support, saying Hulot’s explanations had been “clear and precise and we have no reason to doubt his word”.

Last month, another member of Macron’s government, the budget minister Gérald Darmanin, was accused of rape. Paris prosecutors reopened an investigation into Darmanin after a woman alleged that he had pressured her into sex in 2009 in exchange for helping clear her name in a legal dispute.

Darmanin’s lawyers accused her of trying to harm his reputation and said he would sue for slander.

Other ministers supported Darmanin, saying that at this stage he had not been charged with any crime. Philippe said Darmanin still had his full confidence. A group of French feminists has launched a petition calling on the prime minister to sack Darmanin.