On December 20, French President Emmanuel Macron stepped in to denounce what he termed a witch hunt against cinema star Gérard Depardieu. This stance comes in the wake of the controversial broadcast of a television documentary about the actor, triggering negative reactions and calls for disciplinary action from the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour.
Emmanuel Macron contradicted Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, who had previously announced a disciplinary procedure against Gérard Depardieu. The French president, declaring himself a great admirer of Gérard Depardieu, an immense actor, stated on France 5 that he disapproved of witch hunts and was wary of hype over statements made.
Rima Abdul Malak s statements, asserting that the actor s remarks in the documentary brought shame to France, were rejected by Emmanuel Macron, who emphasized that the Legion of Honour was not intended to moralize. He expressed caution regarding the context surrounding these allegations and invoked the presumption of innocence.
Members of the Depardieu family also reacted, denouncing a plot and describing the documentary as a staging. President Macron insisted that the Legion of Honour should not be withdrawn from an artist based on a news report, emphasizing the need to respect the presumption of innocence.
The president s statements drew criticism, particularly from Olivier Faure of the Socialist Party, who questioned the president s commitment to combating violence against women. Members of the opposition labeled Emmanuel Macron s words as a rape culture. Gérard Depardieu, for his part, made his Legion of Honour available to the Minister of Culture in response to the earlier statements.
