Sabrina Decanton, the Greens party (EELV) candidate for the 2026 municipal elections in Saint-Ouen, France, has sensationally pulled out of the race.
She did so accusing members of her local party group of homophobic behaviour that rendered her sexual orientation an “obstacle” to victory in the suburb’s migrant-heavy wards.
Decanton, a 35-year-old councillor first elected in 2020 as part of a left-wing alliance, announced her withdrawal on Facebook yesterday. She cited months of “unacceptable behaviours and remarks” targeting her as a lesbian.
“This decision, which has been carefully considered, follows unacceptable behaviour and comments within the local environmentalist group in Saint-Ouen,” Decanton said.
“For several months, I have been the target of homophobia.
“My sexual orientation has been cited as an obstacle to my candidacy and a possible victory, with some believing that it would be incompatible with support from working-class neighbourhoods – a position that I consider stigmatising and discriminatory,” she wrote, highlighting what she saw as irony, given the party founded on progressive values.
Decanton also alleged she had been pressured to sign an “illegal and unethical” document that would hand key municipal decisions to a secretive inner circle, further eroding trust in the local branch.
She stated no regrets, pledging to continue her activism: “I firmly believe that there is another way of doing politics but I refuse to compromise my values and integrity.”
Brussels Signal reached out to Decanton for comment but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
Saint-Ouen, a gritty commuter town just north of Paris with a population of around 80,000, is emblematic of Seine-Saint-Denis’s diverse fabric.
Dubbed France’s “migrant-dominated” banlieue (suburb) by critics, the area boasts a foreign-born population exceeding 25 per cent, bolstered by waves of North African, Sub-Saharan African, and eastern European arrivals.
These communities, concentrated in social housing estates including Les Docks and the famous 93 Art District, have long shaped electoral dynamics. They are known for high abstention rates and vocal demands for affordable housing, youth services and anti-discrimination measures.
Local elections there often hinge on alliances between ecologists, socialists and independents, amid tensions over integration and cultural conflict in some quarters.
Decanton’s tenure as first deputy mayor under socialist Karim Bouamrane ended acrimoniously earlier this year when she abstained on the 2025 budget vote, protesting at what she called “opaque governance”.
Her subsequent nomination as the Greens’ lead for the elections in March 2026 was seen as something of a redemption, positioning her as a fresh voice on “green” urbanism and social justice.
Yet, the backlash from within has exposed fractures in EELV’s Saint-Ouen chapter, where whispers of homophobia clashed with the party’s national commitment to LGBTQ+ rights.
Decanton comments drew immediate outrage from EELV’s upper echelons.
Party Secretary Marine Tondelier voiced “total support” for Decanton on social media, condemning the “unacceptable political practices” in Saint-Ouen. She confirmed that disciplinary proceedings had been launched against the local group.
“I spoke with her a few days ago and our movement’s bodies have been seized to follow through,” Tondelier added, vowing a thorough investigation.
The socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen, Karim Bouamrane, also condemned the situation, calling it “unacceptable, outrageous and shocking” to consider sexual orientation as a criterion for access to a municipal candidacy.
A spokesperson for the activist group SOS Homophobie said: “For LGBTQIA+ people, these events are a reminder that homophobia can still affect local political life, even within progressive parties.
“The association emphasises that homophobia is not limited to certain parties and that all forms of discrimination, whether from the Right, from the extreme-right or from left-wing leaders, must be denounced.”
Soutien total à @DecantonSabrina, qui a vécu à Saint-Ouen des pratiques politiques inacceptables qui me scandalisent.
Je l’avais eue il y a quelques jours à ce sujet et les instances disciplinaires de notre mouvement ont été saisies entre temps pour y donner suite.
Jamais… pic.twitter.com/afkXbMdPiT
— Marine Tondelier (@marinetondelier) November 25, 2025
