PARIS, May 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - French politicians were divided on Thursday over the high-profile marathon hearing of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who was grilled by lawmakers about claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school.

Some deputies were outraged at the way Bayrou was questioned for five and a half hours on Wednesday, with one comparing the hearing to a "Stalinist" trial.

Others accused the 73-year-old premier of obfuscation.

On Wednesday, Bayrou faced one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office when he sought to defend himself before a committee investigating widespread claims of abuse at a school in southwestern France.

During the tense hearing in parliament, Bayrou struck a defiant tone and said that he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports.

He accused the commission, and particularly one of the co-rapporteurs, who is a lawmaker with the left-wing France Unbowed party (LFI), of seeking to "bring down" the government.

"I tend to give credence to the prime minister's public words," said far-right National Rally party vice-president Sebastien Chenu, adding that the hearing made him uncomfortable.

"For me it was more like a Moscow trial," he told broadcaster TF1.

He particularly criticised the behaviour of the LFI co-rapporteur, Paul Vannier, and regretted what he called an "exploitation of a tragedy".

Marc Fesneau, a close Bayrou ally, was even more outspoken, describing "this way of treating people as pretty disgusting".

"It's Stalinism," he told broadcaster Radio J.

But Boris Vallaud, the head of Socialist lawmakers, was critical, describing the prime minister's tactics as "smoke and mirrors".
- Damaged credibility -

"At the end of this hearing, do the French people, the victims, feel that they have been enlightened about what happened?" Vallaud said.

"I don't think so."

Bayrou has faced opposition claims that as education minister between 1993 and 1997 he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school.

Several of Bayrou's children attended the school and his wife taught religious studies there.

Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate was named head of government in December and given the task of hauling France out of months of political crisis.

He has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining.

Vannier said on Thursday that the prime minister had admitted having "lied" in February when questioned in parliament for the first time.

Speaking to broadcaster franceinfo, he said the committee would carefully study Bayrou's latest statements, pointing to "one important lesson -- yes, Francois Bayrou lied to the National Assembly".

The left piled further pressure on Bayrou.

"Can we accept a prime minister who lies to MPs when they are exercising their constitutional prerogative of overseeing the government's action?", LFI national coordinator Manuel Bompard said on X.

"For us, the answer is no!"