“Keep your old world, we want a world without sexist and sexual violence”: collective of feminist unions calls for rallies today in France, three weeks after the president’s support Emmanuel Macron to Gerard Depardieu.

“We invite to gatherings all those who defend the rights of women, children and gender minorities and who deny sexist and sexual violence” writes the collective Feminist Strike (Grève féministe) in its announcement.

“After #metoo, progress has been made. Let’s not let these advances be wiped out by the irresponsible, heavy-handed and sexist speech of the president of the Republic, who insulted the rights of the victims and the rights of all women and children,” the collective adds.

A rally is planned for 18:00 in Paris. Others have been announced in about 30 cities, including Marseillethe Lil and the Lyon.

Invited on December 20 to the public television station France 5, Mr Emmanuel Macron supported Gerard Depardieu – who has been accused of rape and is the target of three claims of sexual assault or rape which he denies – calling him a “tremendous actor” who makes “France proud” and denouncing a “manhunt”.

The statements of the head of state, which were made after another public channel broadcast a report in which the actor multiplied misogynistic and insulting statements directed at women, shocked a section of the population.

Feminist associations described the president’s statements as “spitting” in the face of victims of sexual violence and denounced an “inversion of guilt”.

The representative of the government and the president of MoDem, a party allied to the president of the Republic, have since distanced themselves from Emmanuel Macron’s position: the first, Olivier Verand, said he was “shocked” by Gerard Depardieu’s statements and the second, François Bayrou, stated that he has “no tolerance” for the actor.

“Self-proclaimed champion of the fight against violence against women, President Macron turns out to be neither more nor less a defender of alleged perpetrators of attacks”, the collective Grève féministe estimates, expressing regret that the head of state has not found “a word of solidarity to the alleged victims”.

The call for demonstrations is signed by the organizations Feminist Collective Against Rape (Collectif féministe contre le viol), National Solidarity Federation of Women (Fédération nationale solidarité femmes), League of Human Rights (Ligue des droits de l’Homme), Family Planning (Planning familial) and Dare Feminism (Osez le féminisme).