Paris - The ‘Me Too’ movement exploded onto social media in 2017 following the sexual harassment allegations made against Hollywood mogul and film producer, Harvey Weinstein. Since then it has picked up momentum, but some argue that not all accusations made under its banner can be trusted.A French politician took six women who accused him of sexual misconduct to court on Monday, 4 February, in what some are characterising as ‘backlash’ against the #MeToo movement.

Denis Baupin, a prominent Green Party member and former Paris city official, was accused in 2016 of groping, ‘sexting’ and harassing at least 14 women. The allegations were published on the French investigative news website Mediapart and broadcast by radio station France International. Baupin, who denies the accusations, is also said to be launching a defamation case against four journalists from those news outlets for reporting the allegations.  After the six accusers went public with their stories in May 2016, Mr Baupin resigned as the vice president of the lower house of parliament. His lawyer, Emmanuel Pierrat, has been quoted as telling the Associated Press (AP) that, “His reputation [Baupin’s], his family, his life were broken” by the allegations.

Trial opens Monday in Paris. In France, defamation is punishable by a maximum fine of 45,000 euros ($51,500).

Reportedly, most of the women who came out to accuse Baupin of the inappropriate conduct which allegedly happened between 1998 to 2013 were also members of the French Green Party. Four of the women say that they filed criminal complaints for sexual harassment, but after a nine-month-long judicial investigation no charges were brought against Baupin. According to Baupin’s lawyer, Mr Pierrat, the main purpose of the lawsuit is to prove that the investigative news website and the radio station who published the information were inaccurate in their coverage.  It only turns shitty when someone is turned down or someone new appears. Under French law as part of the defence from defamation, the journalists will be required to prove that they acted in good faith and sincerely believed that they were reporting the truth about Baupin.

School dance trip ends in tragic bus crash Russia

According to the preliminary information provided by the police, the bus flipped over after the driver lost control of the vehicle. It remains unclear what caused the accident. Four children and three adults were killed when a bus carrying a Smolensk dance team to Kaluga for a competition overturned in the Kaluga region, the regional governor’s office reported. The bus was carrying 47 passengers, including 33 children; 20 additional passengers sustained injuries. Bus Carrying Girls Basketball Team Rolls Over in West Virginia, 16 Injured The Russian Emergency Service has already confirmed the deaths. Moreover, the majority of those who were wounded are kids: 24 children and one adult were admitted to hospital.

Reacting to the reports, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova to help provide medical assistance to the injured, his press secretary Oleg Osipov said. The reasons for the tragedy remain unknown and an investigation into the deadly accident is underway.