Women’s rights activists criticized French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for appearing to take sides with actor Gerard Depardieu by saying the film star who is facing sexual misconduct allegations « makes France proud. »
Women’s rights activists criticized French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for appearing to take sides with actor Gérard Depardieu by saying the film star who is facing sexual misconduct allegations “makes France proud.”
Speaking on Wednesday night on TV channel France 5, Macron described himself as a “big admirer” of a “great actor.” Macron added: “He makes France proud.”
Macron’s comments in a televised interview come after a documentary that aired earlier this month said 16 women have accused Depardieu of harassing, groping or sexually assaulting them. The France-2 report also showed the actor making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.
They also come as a Spanish journalist and writer recently filed a complaint against Depardieu, who she says sexually abused her during an interview in Paris in 1995, Spanish police said Thursday.
Asked about such accusations against Depardieu, Macron said he believed in the presumption of innocence and the judicial process. “You will never see me participate in a manhunt,” the French leader said.
Macron also criticized his culture minister’s decision to launch a disciplinary procedure concerning Depardieu’s prestigious Order of the Legion of Honor, which could lead to the award getting rescinded. He said Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak went “a bit too far.”
The Legion of Honor is not “a moral tool” and should not be removed “based on a documentary,” Macron said.
