French President Emmanuel Macron has sparked outrage among feminist groups and opposition politicians for defending film star Gerard Depardieu, who is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including rape.
In a television interview on Wednesday, Macron said he would not join the “manhunt” against Depardieu, who was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual harassment and assault.
Macron also praised Depardieu as “an immense actor” and said he had “huge admiration” for him.
The president’s comments came as Depardieu faced fresh criticism for his sexist remarks during a trip to North Korea in 2018, which were aired in a documentary earlier this month.
Macron said he would not strip Depardieu of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest state award, which he received in 1996, arguing that the honour was not meant to impose moral standards on the recipient.
He also suggested that the culture minister, who had called for Depardieu to be stripped of the award, had “gone out on a limb” and that people sometimes “get carried away”.
Macron’s remarks were met with fierce backlash from feminist activists and politicians, who accused him of siding with the aggressors and dismissing the victims of sexual violence.
Generation.s Feministe, a feminist collective, said Macron’s comments were “an insult” to all women who had suffered sexual violence, “first and foremost those who accused Depardieu”.
Maelle Noir of the Nous Toutes association said the president’s remarks were “not just scandalous but also dangerous”, because they undermined the credibility and dignity of the victims.
Sandrine Rousseau, a Green party MP, said “Macron has picked his side – that of the aggressors”.
Anne-Cecile Mailfert, who heads the Women’s Foundation, said Macron’s comments were “disgraceful and despicable” and showed how “behind the times” he was.
The left-leaning Liberation newspaper also slammed Macron for “sinking into indecency” and said he had “lost his compass”.
Some of Depardieu’s former colleagues and friends, however, have come to his defence, saying he was a victim of a “witch hunt” and expressing their loyalty and support for him.
Fanny Ardant, a 74-year-old actor who starred with Depardieu in several films, said “what is happening is a death warrant” and that she supported him.
Former president Francois Hollande, however, said he was “not proud of Gerard Depardieu” after watching the footage of his trip to North Korea, where he made vulgar and inappropriate comments to a female interpreter and a young girl.
Depardieu, 74, is one of France’s most prolific and acclaimed actors, having appeared in more than 200 films and TV series, including classics such as “Cyrano de Bergerac”, “The Last Metro” and “Green Card”.
He has also been known for his controversial and eccentric behaviour, such as renouncing his French citizenship, moving to Russia, and urinating in a plane.
He has denied all the allegations of sexual misconduct against him and has said he will fight to clear his name.
Depardieu’s scandals and controversies
Depardieu has created a number of scandals over the years, including by public brawling, drunk driving and urinating in the cabin of a commercial aircraft.
In 2012, he moved to Belgium to save on taxes, a decision the French prime minister at the time, Jean-Marc Ayrault labelled “pathetic”.
In response to the gibe, Depardieu took Russian nationality the following year and has posted pictures of himself and President Vladimir Putin.
But last year, he denounced what he said were Putin’s “crazy, unacceptable excesses” in the Ukraine war.
In 2017, Macron withdrew the Legion of Honour from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein after a series of accusations of sexual harassment and rape.
By Salam Bustanji
