(Paris) President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Wednesday that the Legion of Honor is an order “not meant to preach morality” while condemning “a manhunt” against actor Gérard Depardieu after a shocking television documentary about the French aired had become a movie star.
Posted at 3:53 p.m.
“One thing you’ll never see me in is manhunts. I hate it,” the head of state replied on the France 5 television channel.
Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak announced on the same channel on Friday that the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor would initiate “disciplinary proceedings” against the actor, against whom two complaints of rape and sexual assault were made in France and who was accused of one of the two cases. The actor denies these allegations.
The President of the Republic said he was “a great admirer of Gérard Depardieu”. […] a great actor.” “He made France, our great authors, our great characters known throughout the world […] He makes France proud,” Emmanuel Macron continued, contradicting the culture minister.
In the same program C à vous on Friday, Rima Abdul Malak estimated that the actor's comments in the Complément d'Investigation report were “a disgrace for France.”
In these images, broadcast on France 2 at the beginning of December, the giant of French cinema, known for having interpreted Commissioner Maigret as Cyrano, multiplies the misogynistic and offensive statements by addressing women and with his obscene statements no little girl spared.
Emmanuel Macron ruled on Wednesday that Rima Abdul Malak had “moved forward” by talking about a procedure that could revoke the actor's award.
“Sometimes there are outbursts over comments made. I am aware of the context,” he insisted. And added: “The Legion of Honor is an order of which I am actually Grand Master, which is not there to preach morality.”
“And that's why we don't take away the Legion of Honor from an artist on the basis of a report or this or that thing, because at that price we would have taken away the Legion of Honor from many artists,” he further emphasized President of the Republic.
And finally: “You can accuse someone, there may be victims, but there is also a presumption of innocence,” for fear of otherwise ending up in “the era of suspicion.”
Olivier Faure, the head of the PS, criticized these comments on his social networks: “Violence against women is a main reason for the five-year term… This president does not believe in anything he proclaims, no matter what the issues.”
“Emmanuel Macron's words on the subject of Depardieu are once again an insult to the movement that advocates for freedom of expression for victims of sexual violence,” attacked environmentalist Sandrine Rousseau in her networks.