It is a large loft on the ground floor, rue de Nantes, 19th arrondissement of Paris.
In Julien Bayou's local campaign there are a good dozen employees and activists, average age, 25 years at first glance.
By contrast, the candidate of the Greens in Île-de-France (40 years old) almost acts as a wise old man (of “boomer” we could say, facetious).
The polls, all very favorable to Valérie Pécresse? “They can be wrong, but above all, they will evolve”. Bayou is certain of it. For him, the violent attacks against him are proof that the Greens are taken very seriously. For example, when Valérie Pécresse castigates "a left / far left alliance, with indigenous, Islamo-leftist, waning sympathies", Bayou remains calm: "We are demonized. "Like the FN in its time? “Yes, but the big difference with them is that we gain by being known. "
This is why he relies heavily on televised debates. June 9 on France 3 and June 14 on LCI. "I'm going to prepare them as sea urchins make love, with care," he confides to us, smiling behind the mask. To do this, he will have as “sparring partner” Benoît Hamon, who has experience of the debates of the socialist primary of 2016, then of the presidential election of 2017. It is 11:45, Bayou swallows his fourth coffee of the morning, when suddenly a big fellow that one does not recognize immediately because of the mask, bursts in. It's Yannick Jadot! His big voice takes up all the space: “Hi Julien! Jadot has just recorded a video of support for Bayou in Île-de-France, which will soon be posted online. Greens who help and support each other, say so! Since we tell you that Bayou believes it.