Extracurricular scandal in Paris: Anne Hidalgo heard in the Senate

Anne Hidalgo claims to sometimes learn the classification without follow-up from facilitators of Parisian schools. Despite the anger and incomprehension of the families, however, she recalls that the Paris town hall is obliged to reinstate the said animators into its workforce. “The administration applies the law,” she assures.

“If we want to respect the victims and our institutions to prevent predators” from lurking in schools, “then we must think seriously about the collective flaws in our system and find solutions,” continues the former elected official.

Anne Hidalgo's hearing in the Senate is not yet over, but the whistleblower collective SOS Périscolaire has already reacted to her speech: “We are unfortunately not surprised by these responses which always point out the faults, the responsibilities of each other, but never their own,” declare the two founders to Le Figaro.

“Our feeling regarding her particularly condescending attitude this morning is that she draped herself in a moralizing tone to defend herself, but did not convince.”

As for his responsibility, Anne Hidalgo notes that “every mayor is responsible for the proper functioning of his communities”. “But not every mayor is responsible for behavior, including individual behavior, which was, for example, non-compliance with instructions that would have been given,” she believes.

Were there then sanctions against agents but also managers who did not report this sexual violence against minors? “The instructions were absolutely very clear: any report, article 40, immediate suspension of the agent, initiation of a disciplinary procedure in parallel with the police/justice procedure,” replies the former elected official. Beyond this procedure, “I asked that we go further than the law. I asked that there be a national file, a memory of all the reports,” she adds.

Agnès Evren, rapporteur of the commission of inquiry, continues: “In preparing for this hearing, you yourself discovered that between 2021 and 2025, reports under Article 40 were not systematic.” Surprised, she adds that according to Anne Hidalgo, “an instruction was modified for four years without you, mayor of Paris, being informed. Can you confirm this?” To which the ex-edile responds: “Absolutely. This is an important and worrying element. “There was only a report when there was no judicial investigation in progress,” to avoid a redundancy effect. “A decision taken without political validation,” notes Anne Hidalgo, who specifies that she disagreed with this practice.

“There were malfunctions, news channels that did not work. Each time we became aware of it, we corrected the device. There are flaws, an obvious lack in the interrelation between institutions. They must work together: National Education, local authorities, the prosecution and the police,” added Anne Hidalgo.

The ex-mayor continues his defense. In 2015, she claims to have signed a protocol between the City of Paris and the public prosecutor's office in order to organize the transmission of information in the event of suspicion of violence against children. In 2018, she said she created the Dasco trade school. The following year, she recalled having opened an email box dedicated to reports.

Finally, in 2020, she recalls the signing of the Fijais sex offender protocol. Then, in 2024, it indicates the establishment of a child protection guide. Finally, in 2026, it launched a flash mission from the general inspectorate to find out if all the 2015 recommendations have been implemented.

“I understand the dismay and the feeling of abandonment of the families,” added the former councilor. And then assured: “We never waited, we always took this serious problem head on.”

Anne Hidalgo's first words are addressed to “all the little Parisians who are victims of sexual predators within school and in extracurricular settings”. The former councilor regrets this violence towards these children, “even though the parents had entrusted them to us and we were responsible for them”.

“I was, I am on the side of the victims,” she added. Before continuing: “If we are here before you today, it is because our institutions, despite the actions taken, have failed in the protection of our children. It is a collective failure. We have a duty to tell the truth.”

Élisabeth Guthmann co-founded the SOS Périscolaire collective in 2021. At the Engagés microphone, she recounts how her daughter told her of a climate of unease in after-school activities, then the avalanche of testimonies, the meetings with Paris town hall, the immobility of elected officials. Despite numerous testimonies from parents, Élisabeth Guthmann explains how Paris town hall minimized the problems and refused to act.

In 2025, revelations of sexual violence in certain Parisian schools finally made the authorities react. The collective then supports families in their legal proceedings. Today, the SOS Périscolaire collective is working with the Paris town hall and the government to fundamentally reform the after-school system, particularly in terms of recruitment and training of leaders.

This episode was originally released in April 2026.

THE PODCAST “THE COMMITTED”

After the months of media absence which followed her departure from City Hall, Anne Hidalgo was the guest of the France Inter morning show last Wednesday. Most of the interview was devoted to his defense in the extracurricular issue. While acknowledging “an injury and pain” as well as some regrets, the former mayor disagreed with the accusations against her and defended her record in matters of extracurriculars. “Families do not need their pain to be exploited, they need the truth,” she proclaimed.

Despite this painful situation which forces her to reappear publicly, Anne Hidalgo does not hide the happiness which surrounds her life afterward. “I am very happy to have been able to rebuild a new life after politics. I say it to all the politicians who are thinking about it: it’s still not bad at all,” she enthused on France Inter. The friends she keeps in the seraglio tell how much the former figure of the left takes pleasure in her withdrawal from public life. “She is extremely happy,” relates a leading elected official from the municipal majority. “You can’t imagine how relieved she is to be out of trouble.” The last years of his mandate were still an ordeal. Apart from the Olympics, it has been absolute hell,” continues this source.

OUR STORY

It is time, high time, to bring a little light and truth to this unspeakable, this unthinkable: sexual violence against children, at the tenderest age, and within the confines of the school itself, by the very people to whom they are entrusted – the extracurricular scandal. Several committees, notably that of the Senate, are beginning work that we must hope will be beneficial. What should be obvious, however, remains a challenge.

Yesterday, Vincent Peillon, architect of the reform of school rhythms which transformed the school into a fair of occupational workshops, set out to refute the slightest link between the call for air initiated in all directions and the chronic failures in the recruitment, selection, training of facilitators, preferring to pass the buck to his opponents. We must expect that Anne Hidalgo, sued by 17 families, will work to deny any responsibility for the bankruptcy of Paris town hall... Or that the new mayor of the capital will prefer to promote the actions of the present rather than their deficit in the past.

THE EDITORIAL BY LAURENCE DE CHARETTE

The hearings of Parisian elected officials of the Senate inquiry committee are an opportunity for families to obtain answers. “We expect an apology. Not a formula of compassion or recognition of the suffering of parents: apologies to the children who were not sufficiently protected and to the families who alerted and who, too often, had the feeling of not being heard,” asserts Barka Zerouali, spokesperson for the #MeTooEcole collective. The SOS Périscolaire collective is less optimistic on the issue. “Anne Hidalgo did not apologize on France Inter (this September 9, Editor’s note) despite three reminders from the journalist. We don’t think she will do it in the Senate,” breathes Anne, co-founder of the parents’ group.

Nevertheless, “although the Senate is not a court of justice, if certain questions point to established, precise facts, Anne Hidalgo and Patrick Bloche will have to answer them well,” she adds. Starting with the report of the general inspection of Paris town hall, which already carried out a diagnosis of the risks of sexual offenses against minors committed by city agents and proposed a set of measures to better prevent, report and deal with these situations.

Facilitators are no longer the only ones implicated in cases of after-school violence in Paris. On August 24 and 25, three families filed a complaint against the former socialist mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, and her former first deputy, Patrick Bloche, in charge of education, early childhood and families, from October 2017 to March 2026, for failure to assist people in danger, and in particular minors aged 15.

A few days later, on September 4, the #MeTooÉcole collective announced the filing of a complaint by 17 families whose children attend schools in the 9th, 11th and 15th arrondissements. This complaint targets current or former Paris town hall executives, but also Anne Hidalgo, Patrick Bloche and the current mayor Emmanuel Grégoire (deputy in charge of human resources from 2014 to 2017 and first deputy from 2018 to 2024), for “deliberately endangering the lives of others”, “failure to report aggression or harm to minors” and “failure to assist a person in danger”.

The Citizen Transparency association in turn indicated this September 7 to Le Figaro that it had issued a report for “absence of denunciation of mistreatment and offenses committed against minors in the context of so-called “extracurricular” activities in Paris” to the Paris public prosecutor's office on April 6. Known in particular for highlighting the amounts of the expense reports of Parisian political representatives - including Anne Hidalgo in September 2025 -, Citizen Transparency defines itself as an association which “aims to fight for the probity of elected officials”.

Since its launch on July 1, the senatorial commission of inquiry has interviewed various after-school stakeholders. At the beginning of the summer, the groups of whistleblower parents (SOS Périscolaire, #MeTooEcole and Innocence en danger) were received, then, at the beginning of September, other groups of parents in Bordeaux, Mardié (Loiret), Tarnos (Landes) and Paris were heard. Monday, September 7, the public prosecutor of Paris, Laure Beccuau, and her deputy, Laurent Guy, were then interviewed, followed by the public prosecutor of Nanterre, Yves Badorc, the public prosecutor of Paris, Marie-Suzanne Le Quéau, then the minor protection brigade. Two round tables of psychologists and child protection associations and local elected officials were organized.

This Monday, the two former Ministers of National Education, Vincent Peillon (2012-2014) and Jean-Michel Blanquer (2017-2022) were invited to speak on the reform of school times which has led to an extension of after-school time in many municipalities, notably in Paris, by moving to a 4.5 day week. As extracurricular time takes up a large part of children's education, it is urgent to restore credit to the profession of animator, said Vincent Peillon. “Those who look after our children after 4:30 p.m. must be qualified, vetted and paid decently. I recognize that this was not done, and I regret it,” he declared during his hearing. Training for facilitators must certainly be provided before they take up their duties, but also on a regular basis. “Training must be continuous when caring for children,” he stressed.

For his successor, Jean-Michel Blanquer, there is no question of reforming the certificate of aptitude for the functions of facilitator (Bafa). “It is still historically a great French success, we should be careful not to call it into question too much,” he indicated. Especially since “there are people with very high diplomas who are guilty of pedophilia and people without diplomas who are remarkable and of impeccable honor,” continued the ex-minister.

On Wednesday September 16, it will be Emmanuel Grégoire's turn to answer questions from the commission of inquiry.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to after-school violence in Paris. This Tuesday, the former socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and her ex-deputy Patrick Bloche - in charge of education, early childhood and families, from October 2017 to March 2026 - are heard in the Senate from 9:30 a.m. as part of the parliamentary commission of inquiry dedicated to violence in extracurriculars. Launched by Senator Agnès Evren (LR) on July 1, this information mission aims to understand and prevent physical or sexual abuse committed against children by entertainers in recent years in at least 70 departments.

In Paris alone, according to the latest figures released by the public prosecutor's office on August 31, 203 criminal investigations concerning extracurriculars and schools are underway. Among these investigations - of which the suspects are mainly leaders - 143 concern nursery schools, 36 elementary schools and 24 nurseries. This September 10, the Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, also announced that she had “launched” investigations targeting Emmanuel Grégoire and Anne Hidalgo in particular.

In April, the new mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced a 20 million euro plan against rape