Sabrina Decanton, the Ecologists' candidate for mayor of Saint-Ouen in the 2026 municipal elections, withdrew on November 25 due to homophobic remarks made against her within her party. These attacks, voiced during an October videoconference, revive suspicions of infiltration by La France Insoumise sympathizers. The incident highlights internal tensions over a potential alliance with the movement.
Sabrina Decanton's withdrawal, as the former first deputy to Socialist mayor Karim Bouamrane—who is seeking a second term—, was announced in a press release on November 25. The candidate condemned ongoing homophobia for several months, with her sexual orientation cited as a barrier to electoral success.
The incriminated remarks came from local Ecologist leaders during a campaign steering committee via videoconference in October. In an internal video to party members, Decanton expressed her shock: “I heard remarks towards me that were of unheard-of violence, I am still in shock. I heard that I was megalomaniac, that I wouldn't finish the term and that they could unplug me during the term and put someone else in my place (...), that my candidacy would be very difficult in the neighborhoods. Which reminds me of this whole period where they explained to me that, as I was homosexual, it would be very difficult for me to be elected since popular neighborhoods and homosexuals, apparently, according to some, that doesn't go together.”
Behind the scandal lies a secret document placing Decanton under trusteeship by her running mates, who favor an alliance with La France Insoumise (LFI). This development rekindles fears of LFI infiltration within the Ecologists in Seine-Saint-Denis ahead of the March 2026 municipal elections.