“For several months, I have been the target of homophobia.” Sabrina Decanton, the Green Party candidate for mayor of Saint-Ouen, withdrew her candidacy on Tuesday, November 25, after accusing the “local Green Party group in Saint-Ouen” of “unacceptable behavior and remarks.”
“My sexual orientation is being cited as an obstacle to my candidacy and a potential victory, with some believing it would be incompatible with supporting working-class neighborhoods—a position I consider stigmatizing and discriminatory,” the candidate wrote.
She also denounced the opaque management of power after “pressure” forced her to sign “an illegal and unethical document intended to entrust municipal decisions to a small, secret group.” This is something Sabrina Decanton “refused.”
Municipal elections in Saint-Ouen: the EELV candidate accuses her group of homophobia and withdraws from the campaign
Support from the Green Party leader
Just hours after these illegal actions were revealed to the public, Marine Tondelier offered her support to the now-former Green Party candidate for mayor of Saint-Ouen.
“Total support for Sabrina Decanton, who experienced unacceptable political practices in Saint-Ouen that outrage me. (…) Homophobia will never have a place in our movement,” the Green Party’s national secretary stated.
Tondelier, who explained that she had discussed the matter with the elected official “a few days ago,” also announced that the movement’s disciplinary bodies had, in the meantime, “been notified.”
Sabrina Decanton clarifies that she will remain a city councilor “until the end” of her term in order to defend the residents and “relay their concerns.” However, she insists: “I refuse to compromise my values and my integrity. (…) I did everything in my power to see this through, but I cannot continue under these conditions.”
