Bruel: Paléo Festival evokes “unacceptable behaviour” in 2019
Keystone-SDA
The Paléo Festival said on Monday that “unacceptable behaviour” had been reported by a volunteer during French singer Patrick Bruel’s visit in 2019. An agreement was reached between the volunteer and the French singer.
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Despite the fact that Patrick Bruel was not scheduled to perform at this summer’s 2026 edition of the Paléo Festival in Nyon, the organisers issued a statement on social networking sites declaring that “it goes without saying that we will no longer be inviting Patrick Bruel to Paléo”.
These statements follow revelations in the TF1 news programme Sept à Huit broadcast on Sunday, according to which a volunteer masseuse at the Paléo denounced the singer’s behaviour during a massage organised backstage at the Nyon festival on July 28, 2019. As a result, festival officials decided to communicate about the matter on social networks, which were subsequently picked up by the media.
“It was important for us to communicate that we support and believe our employee,” the Paléo told AFP news agency, explaining the reasons that prompted it to communicate.
Legal proceedings
In 2019, “the week after the festival, we were informed of unacceptable behaviour by the artist towards a volunteer (…). The facts reported were serious and her testimony was taken very seriously”, it said in its press release.
“We first offered her psychological counselling, then support in her legal proceedings by encouraging her to lodge a complaint,” the statement continued. “Our volunteer launched legal proceedings, which ended in 2022 with an agreement between the parties. We respected her decision and her wish for confidentiality,” it goes on.
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Festival officials added that “no incidents of this nature” had been reported to them during previous visits by the French artist.
Increased prevention
“At the same time, we have strengthened our measures to prevent and deal with victims of violence, notably with the introduction of the ‘Angela’ procedure from 2022, specific training for our teams, and changes to our policy for welcoming artists,” Paléo added. “No form of violence has any place at Paléo,” insist its managers.
According to the TF1 programme, Patrick Bruel paid several thousand euros to an association that helps immigrant women, following the agreement reached with the volunteer. The programme reports that the singer’s lawyer confirmed the agreement.
“There has been no gesture from Patrick Bruel towards her. A conciliation procedure was proposed by the public prosecutor, as is customary in Switzerland for minor allegations. It was accepted by the complainant and by Patrick Bruel,” said her lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, in a written note read out by a journalist on the programme.
What about Pully and Fribourg?
The singer is due to kick off his tour on June 16 at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris, then move on to a number of towns in France, Switzerland and Belgium. He has been asked by several mayors, including those of Paris and Marseille, not to perform in their cities, because of four complaints of rape in France and a judicial enquiry into sexual assault in Belgium.
Patrick Bruel denies all the allegations against him.
Three of the singer’s concerts scheduled for December in Quebec have been cancelled. In Switzerland, feminist groups are calling for the cancellation of his concerts, scheduled for June 25 at the Pully Live Festival and June 26 at the Bellarena Indoor Festival in Fribourg.
Contacted on Friday by Keystone-ATS news agency, the Pully municipal authorities have yet to respond.
Translated from French by AI/jdp
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