Out-of-school violence in Paris: Hidalgo and Bloche questioned at Senate
Anne Hidalgo and Patrick Bloche appear before the Senate's inquiry commission on out-of-school violence. In Paris, 203 criminal investigations are underway.
Senate: Paris's former officials face families of out-of-school violence victims
Anne Hidalgo and Patrick Bloche are being questioned on Tuesday 15 September from 9.30 a.m. at the Senate, Le Figaro reports. The former Socialist mayor of Paris and his ex-deputy in charge of education, early childhood and families — a post he held from October 2017 to March 2026 — must answer before the parliamentary inquiry commission devoted to out-of-school violence.
The families of victims are awaiting accountability. "We are expecting apologies," they made known, according to the newspaper. The commission was launched on 1 July by Senator Agnès Evren (LR) with the mission to understand how activity leaders were able to commit physical or sexual abuse on children, and to define preventive measures.
The scale of the phenomenon is national: the recorded incidents affect at least 70 departments. In Paris alone, the public prosecutor stated on 31 August that 203 criminal investigations are currently underway, concerning incidents that occurred in out-of-school activities and in schools. Of these 203 cases, 143 concern school establishments, and the suspects are predominantly activity leaders.
The questioning of Hidalgo and Bloche represents a key moment for relatives of the children involved, who hope that the two former elected officials will shed light on political responsibilities in the handling of this scandal.
Source: Le Figaro