Overview
- The LFI deputy posted an apology on X on December 26, acknowledging his words were sexist, inconsistent with his principles, and saying he must measure the impact of his speech as an elected official.
- His comments were made on December 23 during a YouTube interview on La Librairie Africaine, where he implied Rachida Dati rose in politics by sleeping with men; the clip has been viewed more than 650,000 times on X.
- The exchange occurred during a discussion of French political figures of African origin and included a separate remark describing Rama Yade as serving as a “quota.”
- Aurore Bergé condemned the remarks as deserving unanimous censure, and figures such as Raquel Garrido and Patrick Karam also criticized the attack as misogynistic.
- LFI deputy Sarah Legrain said the comments should never have been made, noted that Bilongo apologized to Dati and to women, and no formal sanctions or legal actions were reported in the coverage.