The reasons for the dismissal had not been disclosed, but the office of the French-speaking Minister of Culture, Bénédicte Linard (Écolo) explained, again to our colleagues from Standard, that the decision of the CA had been taken “following complaints concerning serious acts of harassment, abuse of power and sexist and sexual violence collected by the ASBL Engagement Arts”.
Bruno Letort, who was not interviewed by our colleagues, wished to deliver “in the version“, has Free.
The director of Ars Music fired after several complaints of harassment
A question of “interpretation”
Rejecting accusations of harassment, gender-based violence and abuse of power, he said:surprised“by the statements of the people who accuse him.”I hear of course that people have reported things, that there is clearly suffering, but these are situations that have been exposed out of context and have been subject to interpretation by the people who have reported these things against me.“, defends Bruno Letort.
Seven testimonies were recorded by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men (IEFH) which then wrote a report on the subject. The said report (accompanied by a legal note) then ended up on Minister Linard’s desk. Who then asked the CA to “take the necessary measures”. But for Bruno Letort and his advisors, this is a “interference” from the minister.
The lawyers also denounce the qualifiers used by the Linard firm which evokes facts of “harassment, abuse of power and sexist and sexual violence.” “These accusations are serious. The Institute’s report nowhere mentions sexist or sexual violence! What is more, it is up to justice to decide whether the elements exposed in the seven testimonies are established and can be defined as the Institute claims. Ms. Linard took the place of the courts and tribunals by judging Bruno Letort on the basis of a very poorly substantiated report, constructed solely against Mr. Letort, without it being heard by the Institute. This is unspeakable. It is shameful”.
“No criminal complaint, no investigation”
We asked Bruno Letort about the content of some of the testimonies. One of the people mentioned having been the victim of caresses on the arms when receiving an award.As I explained to you, this is a question of interpretation because I have never caressed anyone in a professional setting, he insists. I hugged an artist after a concert, which I could have done – as the director of a festival – with any other artist, whether a woman or a man. Maybe the practice is no longer relevant, I can hear that, but I refuse to be accused of things I didn’t do. When I read that, I was quite stunned.”
“When I guessed that Stromae was hiding behind this secret project, it convinced me to accept”
What about the testimony that he sent a message to one of these people at 3am to check on them?This person mentions a message sent in 2013, more than 10 years ago, which she says she has since deleted. Personally, I have no memory of such a message. I would have liked to be confronted with these statements and be able to defend myself calmly.”he laments.
And one of Bruno Letort’s pieces of advice is to continue.”After painful insistence – which is not normal if our client must be able to defend himself – we obtained a copy of these seven deanonymized reports. Comparing them with the IEFH report, we noticed several intriguing elementsshe begins. Some of the testimonies cited in the report are simply not found in the reports. Others have dates that do not match. And finally, the evidence of what is being exposed is not reported for several of the reports. The only elements that were presented as evidence do not demonstrate harassment, abuse, or any allegations supported by Minister Linard.”
And to conclude: “There are no criminal complaints or investigations by judicial authorities. There is nothing. Just an indelible stain orchestrated for opportunistic purposes. We will analyze the legal consequences to be given to this matter.“
The Linard firm reacts
Contacted, the president of the board of directors of Ars Musica did not respond to our requests.
Free also contacted the Linard firm, which denies any form of interference.The decision to dismiss him and under what conditions is up to the CA. It was not up to the minister to interfere in this decision.”
As for the qualifiers used to describe the facts attributed to Bruno Letort, the Linard firm recalls that the conclusions of the report of the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men are “extremely clear, substantiated and serious, and speak of acts that can be qualified as ‘sexism and/or discriminatory and sexual harassment’.” And to add that “The facts reported meet the definition given by the World Health Organization to sexual violence.”
And to conclude that it is on the basis of this IEFH report that the CA – “where the minister is not represented – made her decision.” “The minister’s action was to ensure that the procedure was respected. As provided for in the decree on the new cultural governance, an observer can be sent to the operator when malfunctions are noted. In this case, the IEFH note reports obvious malfunctions, which is why an observer from the general inspection of culture was appointed to the board of directors.”
