Pierre Aidenbaum, former deputy of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and former president of a French anti-hate group, has resigned his post in government after being indicted for rape.
Aidenbaum, a socialist who served as president of the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism (Licra), was indicted for rape and sexual assault on October 9th and stands accused of raping a 40-year-old colleague he had worked with for years.
The resignation is the first of its kind for a Paris official, according to a report from French newspaper Le Monde. Aidenbaum, 78, will be replaced by environmentalist Corine Faugeron.
The sexual assault case began in September when the alleged victim came forward, and the case was presented to Mayor Hidalgo the following day. The case was then sent to a public prosecutor who opened an investigation.
Initially, the Paris City Council referred to the allegations as sexual harassment, but the investigators referred to the case as sexual assault and later indicted Aidenbaum on rape charges. The 78-year-old was also banned from contacting the victim or witnesses.
According to Le Monde, the appointment of Faugeron to Aidenbaum’s former position will slightly shift the balance of power in the Paris council, as Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s group is reduced to 55 members.
The local Paris government continues to struggle with other issues in the city, including high levels of crime in areas like the heavily migrant-populated 18th arrondissement, where residents have claimed to have been abandoned by the government as crime surges.
Illegal migrants also continue to live on the streets of the French capital in makeshift camps. To counter this, the government has proposed transforming a former historic town hall into a reception centre for migrants and asylum seekers.
Drugs also remain a major issue for the city, particularly crack cocaine use. Last month, Paris stated it would be opening “shooting rooms” for crack cocaine addicts to use after getting permission from French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn.