GREENS HERO COHN-BENDIT DENIES CHILD-MOLESTING PAST

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who is head of the French Greens party and a leading figure in 1960'sprotest movements, has denied that he once molested children despite writing and article as a youngman alluding to intimate encounters with minors. He used to work in a kindergarten and later wroteabout how flirtation with young children in his care had taken on an erotic character. He toldFrance Inter radio that the 1975 published article contained passages, which were unbearablyflippant, but said they bore no relation to reality. Cohn-Bendit said, No, I never had sexualrelations with children. In the article he writes, I really felt that the little girls, from theage of five, had already learned how to lead me on, to flirt. It was incredible. Most of the time Iwas disarmed by it. The article continues with, Several times certain children opened the fliesof my trousers and started to tickle me. I reacted differently each time according to thecircumstances…But when they insisted on it, I then caressed them. He admits writing thearticle for a now-defunct magazine, but denies such scenes actually took place.

(Paris)