Emmanuel Macron assured Tuesday evening that he had “no regrets” for having defended the presumption of innocence of actor Gérard Depardieu, indicted for rape and targeted by several complaints, while regretting not “having said enough how important the words of women “victims of violence” are.
“I have no regrets for having defended the presumption of innocence for a public figure, an artist in this case, as I did for political leaders,” declared during a press conference the head of state, who defended the actor at the end of December, hailing a “huge actor” who “makes France proud”, and denouncing “a manhunt”. But, added Emmanuel Macron, “if I have one regret, it is not having said enough how important the words of women who are victims of this violence are and how important this fight is for me.”
Gérard Depardieu is targeted by three complaints for sexual assault or rape
As a reminder, Gérard Depardieu is the target of three complaints for sexual assault or rape – accusations that he refutes. He has also been indicted for rape since 2020, following a complaint from an actress in her twenties, Charlotte Arnould.
The comments at the end of December by the head of state, who reacted to a report from Additional Investigation broadcast on France 2 during which the actor multiplied misogynistic and insulting remarks while addressing women, shocked part of the population. Feminist associations have described the President of the Republic’s statements as “spitting” in the face of victims of sexual violence, and denounced a “reversal of guilt”.
“I am pleased that speech is being freed
“Since the first day (of the five-year term) and even before, the subject of violence against women has been a priority and we will continue to fight against this social phenomenon,” Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
“I am pleased that speech is being freed and I hope that it can be freed as much as possible,” he added. “But I think that our role is to allow its framework, that justice can do its work, that we protect the women who are threatened, but that here too we do not do it in forgetting the constitutional principles that are ours, including the presumption of innocence.”