French President Emmanuel Macron has clarified comments he made last year about Gérard Depardieu, which appeared to suggest he was supporting the actor amid a spate of sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.
Speaking in an interview with the French women’s magazine ElleIn the statement released on Wednesday, Macron noted that his comments had been misinterpreted and that he was not “complacent” about the issues surrounding sexual harassment and abuse.
“I just want respect for our principles, such as the presumption of innocence. These same principles will allow justice to rule next October, and that is a good thing,” he said.
Depardieu is due to go on trial in October on charges of sexually assaulting two women in a film set in 2021, while allegations of sexual assault and rape by actress Charlotte Arnould are also headed to trial.
In the background, several other women have accused Depardieu of sexual harassment and abuse. The actor has denied all allegations.
Macron drew criticism last December when he appeared to speak out in favor of Depardieu. At the time, the actor was in the middle of a media storm following the airing of an episode of the investigative show Further research Investigating multiple allegations of sexual assault and other inappropriate behavior against the actor.
Speaking on a chat show C to youThe president suggested that Depardieu was the victim of a “manhunt,” adding that he was a “great admirer of Depardieu” and that the actor had “made France proud.”
In the same interview, he also publicly rejected then-Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak’s suggestion that Depardieu be removed from his Legion of Honor.
“I used the term ‘manhunt’ in a gender-neutral way,” Macron said Elle. I don’t like media trials, justice through tweets, or anything at all. We live in a society that tries to kill people in a matter of days and then forgets about them.”
Macron said his stance was “uncompromising” when it comes to tackling the issues of “rape,” “domination” and what he called “this culture of brutality.”
“My priority has always been to protect the victims, and that also applies to the Depardieu affair,” he said.
Macron’s comments and interviews come amid a new #MeToo wave in France, sparked by actress Judith Godrèche’s decision to speak out about her underage relationship with Benoit Jacquot in the 1980s, when she was 14 and he was 39 .
Godrèche, who says she was under his influence and that the relationship was wrong, filed a police report Farewell, my queen And Diary of a chambermaid Director in February for “forcible rape”. He has denied the allegations.
Her actions and the subsequent campaign to end a culture of silence about harassment in the French film industry have sparked a wave of #MeToo accusations from the cinema world and other public and private sectors.