The filmmaker Maïwenn, accused of having assaulted Edwy Plenel, founder of Mediapart, explained her gesture in the columns of the JDD. The newspaper responded to the words of the director of Jeanne du Barry.
On June 11, the Journal du Dimanche published an interview with the actress and director Maïwenn, currently starring in Jeanne du Barry. The filmmaker evokes her aggression towards the journalist Edwy Plenel in a restaurant and explains the reasons.
The artist criticizes Mediapart for having published his hearing against the judicial police in the Luc Besson case. The latter, father of his daughter, is accused of rape by actress Sand Van Roy. “I do not blame Mediapart for the investigations they carried out concerning Luc Besson. I blame them for what they did to me”said Maïwenn.
It is a cataclysm. I felt a moral rape. If nothing justifies attacking a journalist, nothing justifies violating a woman’s privacy.
“It’s a cataclysm. I felt a moral violation. If nothing justifies attacking a journalist, nothing justifies violating a woman’s privacy”hammered the director at the microphone of the JDD.
Through the voice of journalist Lénaïg Bredoux, Mediapart responded to Maïwenn’s comments. “The director and actress attacks, without contradictory point of view, the work of our newspaper on gender-based and sexual violence, and believes that she can thus justify the aggression of the president of Mediapart. We are not fooled”she said.
This is an outright attack on our work on gender-based and sexual violence, which has been at the heart of our editorial priorities for several years.
The editorial manager of gender issues at Mediapart confides the amazement of the editorial staff of the newspaper regarding Maïwenn’s statements. “This is an endless justification for the attack on a journalist, Edwy Plenel (for which legal proceedings are underway), and an outright attack on our work on gender-based and sexual violence, at the heart of the editorial priorities of our writing for several years”believes Lénaïg Bredoux.
The journalist then recalls that Maïwenn met Marine Turchi, journalist in charge of the Luc Besson file at Mediapart. In 2018, a meeting of more than 3h30 takes place at the director’s home.
“Maïwenn asks that nothing filter out of these long exchanges. We respected her choice. We have never deviated from it, neither at the time, nor since. In any of the articles published on this affair (read our complete file, until the case was dismissed from which Luc Besson benefited). Maïwenn recognizes it herself in the JDD”emphasizes Lénaïg Bredoux.
The article incriminated by Maïwenn was published on Mediapart on March 17, 2021 and is entitled “Luc Besson case, a gap-filling instruction“, written by Marine Turchi. “Maïwenn’s name does not appear in the title, nor in the chapô, nor even in the first two thirds of this article. She is neither the object nor the heart: out of the 13,700 characters that contains, only 1,800 relate to the elements that the director delivered to justice as part of the preliminary investigation against Luc Besson”recalls Lénaïg Bredoux.
It was therefore inconceivable not to mention Maïwenn’s version. If we had not done so, we would have been criticized for a partial, even biased article. The reproach could have been justified.
“His audition had been revealed by many media several months earlier (in Paris-Match, Le Point, Madame Figaro, in the tabloids). It was therefore inconceivable not to mention Maïwenn’s version in our turn. If we do not had not done so, we would have been criticized for a partial, even biased article. The reproach could have been justified”explains the Mediapart journalist.
“How then dare to speak of “moral rape” as Maïwenn does in the JDD? And why state it today about Mediapart and not other media, two years later? It’s absolutely incomprehensible”asks Lénaïg Bredoux.
The latter then recalls Maïwenn’s criticisms of the MeToo movement and feminism. “Maïwenn did not hide it: she has often criticized #MeToo in recent years, while supporting the principle. She has even made it a banner by choosing Johnny Deppactor accused of domestic violence, for his latest film [Jeanne du Barry] and by organizing its “redemption” during the last Cannes festival”relates the journalist.
Let’s not be fooled by the media and political offensive against #MeToo in which she is participating today, with the JDD. The fact of disagreeing with a newspaper, whatever the legitimacy or not of this disagreement, cannot authorize this attitude.
“The director has every right to do so. That is not the question. But let’s not be fooled by the media and political offensive against #MeToo in which she is participating today, with the JDD. The fact of being in disagreement with a newspaper, whatever the legitimacy or not of this disagreement, cannot authorize this attitude.To see today several written or audiovisual media trivializing the aggression, recognized by its author, of the director of a newspaper, cannot that we worry about the climate that reigns in our country”concludes Lénaïg Bredoux.