“No, we are not proud of Gerard Depardieu”said today former French president Francois Hollande responding to yesterday’s statements by his successor, Emmanuel Macron, who defended the actor, who is the target of allegations of rape and sexual assaults against women.

Last night, when asked during an interview he gave to the France 5 television station, Macron declared that he is “a big fan of Gérard Depardieu (…), a huge caliber of actor”. “He made France, our great writers, our great personalities known all over the world (…), he made France proud,” the French president said, speaking of a “manhunt” against the actor after the release of a documentary about this movie star.

The airing in early December of a report on the program “Complément d’enquête” on the France 2 television network also caused a shock. There the protagonist is seen making misogynistic statements and insults when addressing women.

Gérard Depardieu is under the microscope of the authorities since 2020 for rape, after the lawsuit of the actress Charlotte Arnoul. He denies the charges against him.

In total, 14 women have testified, most of them in an investigation by the news website Mediapart in April, about sexual violence by the actor. The vast majority did not file a complaint.

In fact, the day before yesterday, the Spanish journalist and writer Ruth Batha announced that she filed a lawsuit in Spain against Depardieu for rape, which happened in 1995 in Paris.

At the same time, a second sexual assault lawsuit was filed by actress Helen Daras, for events that unfolded in 2007 during filming. The actor also denies these accusations.

Yesterday, Macron was asked to comment on the announcement by French Culture Minister Rima Abdoul Malak that a “disciplinary procedure” would be launched by the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor to potentially strip Depardieu, the current French president, of the Legion of Honor award. called the ministerial announcement “somewhat hasty” saying that the distinction of the Legion of Honor is not of a moral nature and that if it was, then it should have been removed from many artists.

Macron’s comments about the French actor provoked the reaction of many feminist associations and many political leaders.

“He referred to Gerard Depardieu, his talent and the presumption of innocence. I will talk to you about the 14 women who were attacked, the humiliated women, the women who were disturbed by the images they saw, all these women who see in Gérard Depardieu what violence, power, contempt means,” Hollande answered speaking on the radio France Inter station.

For Francois Hollande, what was “expected” from Emmanuel Macron was “to talk about women and not just say that he was a great actor”.

“No, we are not proud of Gerard Depardieu,” the former president said.

While acknowledging that “exaggerations” are being made on social media, François Hollande stressed that “at some point we must also speak clearly and say what action in favor of women involves”.

Macron “made this cause (women’s rights) the big issue of his five-year term and this is how he deals with the issue of Gérard Depardieu?” Hollande said in surprise.