President Macron’s candidate for mayor of Paris withdrew from the race yesterday after a sex video and compromising images allegedly featuring him were published online.
Benjamin Griveaux, 42, a former minister who co-founded Mr Macron’s En Marche movement, dropped out after Joachim Son-Forget, a member of the French National Assembly, tweeted links to a website on which the messages and video had been published. In these a man purported to be Mr Griveaux, a married father of two, flirts with a young woman, including images in which he appears to be pleasuring himself.
“A website and social networks have launched vile attacks concerning my private life. My family does not deserve this,” Mr Griveaux said. “No one should ever be subjected to such abuse. For