The Gérard Depardieu affair continues to divide France, even among certain allied politicians. While Emmanuel Macron, during his time in C to you on December 20, had clearly taken a position in favor of the actorcertain members of his government as well as recognized and long-standing partners have explicitly deferred from the presidential line. This Sunday, January 7, it was the turn of François Bayrou, High Commissioner for Planning and historic ally since 2017 of Emmanuel Macron to distance himself from the Head of State on this subject. Asked on BFM TV, using the president’s words, to find out if he too found that Gérard Depardieu makes France proud, the mayor of Pau said cleanly sliced and without burrs: “No. I know very well what the President of the Republic had in mind, he hates witch hunting. But I will tell you, someone who speaks about women in the way he spoke about them, someone who speaks about children and particularly granddaughters in the way he spoke about them, and someone who look at granddaughters like that, I have no indulgence. I will not be found among its defenders“ argued the politician who would see himself well in Matignon.
Recognizing Gérard Depardieu’s great acting qualities, the companion of the very discreet Élisabeth Bayrou explained, according to him, that talent couldn’t excuse his attitude “indefensible”. As for the idea of “manhunt” expressed by Emmanuel Macron and which he found detestable, the president of MoDem joined him while qualifying his remarks by explaining that “sometimes there is something indefensible in a certain number of attitudes”. Words which, without insulting the President of the Republic, ostensibly mark the distinction between the two menand can be found below.
François Bayrou (@bayrou): “No”, Gérard Depardieu does not make France proud pic.twitter.com/D0UylJHwNq
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) January 7, 2024
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François Bayrou: his friendship with Emmanuel Macron in danger because of this disagreement?
This discord between the two men should not, however, not have too much impact on the partnership and even the friendship which links Emmanuel Macron to François Bayrou. Last October, our colleagues from Sunday Newspaper revealed in particular that the two political allies spoke together at least three times a week, whether by telephone, or in person, in one of the salons of the Élysée and even seemed “unfailing” according to the words of the newspaper. Their disagreement around Gérard Depardieu should therefore not do great damage.
Photo credits: Screen capture / BFM TV