targeted by accusations of sexual violence, influencer Baptiste Moirot will not carry the flame – Libération

Since the announcement last week of Baptiste Moirot’s participation in carrying the Olympic flame, testimonies from women and teenage girls accusing him of sexual violence have been flooding onto social networks. He announced on Instagram that he is giving up carrying the flame.

Baptiste Moirot, known for a viral video published in 2017, will ultimately not carry the Olympic flame. Accused by several women and teenagers of sexual violence, the influencer announced this Thursday April 18 on Instagram that he was giving up. “Following the accusations made against me, and after discussion with the organizing committee, I made the decision to withdraw from the torch relay,” he wrote. Out of respect and to protect my family and myself.”

Information confirmed by Paris 2024, which also indicated to Libération that Baptiste Moirot “took the decision in conjunction with the organizing committee not to carry the flame”. A “responsible decision in view of the situation”, we add from the same source.

Recently appointed to carry the Olympic flame for the Paris Games, Baptiste Moirot shared a story on his Instagram account on Wednesday: after accusations of sexual violence, he claimed to have “made mistakes”, to be “deeply sorry” and having “become aware of the importance of (s) his actions” since he “became a father”.

The now influencer and amateur photographer, who also works in the restaurant business, is accused by several women and teenage girls of sexual assault as well as sending unsolicited messages of a sexual nature. The majority of Internet users were minors at the time of the events.

The trigger for this wave of testimonies seems to be the announcement by the organization of the Olympic Games, on Wednesday April 10, that Baptiste Moirot would be “one of the torch bearers”, following a petition launched on Facebook and signed by 68,000 people. Baptiste Moirot is known for his video that went viral in 2017, where it is about fire. In it, we see him burning Kevlar in a tin pint while throwing sand at it in the middle of his room.

A 12 year old girl

Since this return to the forefront, the testimonies have been piling up. A first Internet user posted Monday on TikTok a video showing a screenshot of a chat during which Baptiste Moirot asks her to show him her “little buttocks” to “spank” her because she is “a naughty little girl” who “deserves to be punished”. The teenager was then 12 years old and he was 26 years old. Baptiste Moirot also sent him a sex toy video.

Another Internet user also posted a screenshot of a discussion she allegedly had with the influencer. Inside, he describes in great detail a sexual relationship he would like to have with her in several messages. She says she was “17, he was 25.” At least two other Internet users accuse the influencer of having sent them unsolicited messages of a sexual nature.

Then, a woman aged 18 at the time of the facts, explains about having met Moirot in a skate park ten years ago: “I wanted him to teach me how to skateboard and he touched my breasts as if it were normal.” Alleged facts criminally qualifying as sexual assault.

Contacted by Libération, Baptiste Moirot did not respond at the time of publication of the article.