'He lost all feminists in France': Macron stands by Derpardieu, 'misses appointment with history'


Issued on: 22/12/2023 

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday faced accusations of siding with sexual aggressors after saying film icon Gerard Depardieu, charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims, was the target of "a manhunt". Depardieu, who has made more than 200 films and TV series, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women. He currently faces fresh scrutiny over sexist comments caught on camera during a trip to North Korea in 2018 that were broadcast for the first time in a documentary on national television earlier this month. Asked in a television interview on Wednesday whether Depardieu should be stripped of France's highest state award, which he received nearly three decades ago, Macron said: "You will never see me take part in a manhunt. I hate that kind of thing. "The presumption of innocence is part of our values." Macron said he had "huge admiration" for Depardieu, whom he called "an immense actor". But 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". With the French president under heavy fire for remarks wholeheartedly defending France's cinema legend, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Natacha Henry, award-winning author and international consultant on gender-based violence for the Council of Europe and the European Commission. She is also a Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

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Video by:  FRANCE 24