Bétharram Affair: Françoise Gullung Accuses Élisabeth Bayrou of Complicity, Testimonies on Ignored Abuse

Françoise Gullung, a former mathematics teacher at Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram, recounts the abuse she witnessed at the school between 1994 and 1996. In an interview with Mediapart, she accuses Élisabeth Bayrou, then a catechism teacher and wife of Prime Minister François Bayrou, of having been a witness to the mistreatment without intervening. According to Gullung, one particular incident stood out: a student was being beaten in a classroom, and when she crossed paths with Élisabeth Bayrou, she reportedly asked what could be done. Bayrou’s response, according to the former teacher, was chilling: “These children, you can’t get anything out of them.”

François Bayrou and the Ignorance of Alerts

Gullung also described her efforts to alert François Bayrou to the abuse. In 1995, she allegedly explained the gravity of the situation during a meeting, but he downplayed the matter, labeling it as “overdramatized.” These revelations, which challenge the Bayrou family’s response to the abuse, have reignited the Bétharram affair and attracted attention from Mediapart, which released another damning testimony from Françoise Gullung on February 20, 2025.

François Bayrou’s circle responded strongly, calling the article a “dangerous delusion,” but the former teacher remains firm in her accusations, emphasizing that the Prime Minister could not have been unaware of the events taking place in the school. For his part, François Bayrou has rejected the accusations, claiming he was never alerted, despite Gullung’s numerous attempts to inform him.