Macron ‘admires’ rape-accused Depardieu
‘He has made France’s great authors, our great characters, known throughout the world‘
EMMANUEL MACRON has said he is a “great admirer” of Gérard Depardieu, the French actor accused of rape and sexual assault, as he refused to take part in a “manhunt” against the scandal-plagued star.
The president of France praised the 74-year-old as a film idol who makes the country “proud”. He added that he had no plans to strip Depardieu of the Legion of Honour, the country’s highest order of merit.
Mr Macron’s remarks caused outrage among feminists and political opponents, one of whom accused the president of being the “promoter in chief of rape culture”.
When asked about rescinding Depardieu’s honour, Mr Macron told the France 5 broadcaster on Wednesday: “You will never see me participate in a manhunt. I hate that kind of thing,” adding that “you don’t strip someone of a Legion of Honour based on a report”.
The award, which the star of Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac received in 1996, “is not a moral tool”, said Mr Macron, adding he was “a great admirer of Gérard Depardieu... an immense actor.
“He has made France’s great authors, our great characters, known throughout the world, he makes France proud.”
Mr Macron’s comments were in stark contrast to those by Rima Abdul Malak, the culture minister, who last week said the actor “shamed France” after footage emerged of him making lewd and sexist comments.
She said that the grand chancery of the Legion of Honour would initiate a “disciplinary procedure” to decide whether to strip him of the award.
In the interview, Mr Macron said: “You can accuse someone, there may be victims, but there is also a presumption of innocence. I simply want Gérard Depardieu to be able to defend his rights like everyone else.”
Broadcaster France 2 aired a documentary earlier this month that showed the actor on a 2018 trip to North Korea, during which he made sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualised a 10-year-old girl while she was riding a horse.