In the turmoil after broadcasting a number of Further investigation and while he is the subject of three complaints of rape, Gérard Depardieuwho remains presumed innocent of the facts with which he is accused, continues to be talked about. In recent days, several personalities have spoken out, either to denounce the facts of which they were aware, or to defend the actor in question. Guest of C to you this Wednesday, December 20, Emmanuel Macron has unsurprisingly been questioned about this matter. After having praised the career of Gérard Depardieu, who according to him is “a genius of his art“, the President of the Republic reacted to the accusations against Carole Bouquet’s ex: “No, but wait, I am also unassailable on the fight against attacks against women and for gender equality, these are the two major causes of my two five-year terms, so I will continue to fight. But I like it to be done in good order and that our values are respected. In our values, there is the presumption of innocence and we cannot assume that just anyone will be in public court“, declared the tenant of the Élysée.
“One thing you’ll never see me in is manhunts, I hate it!“, affirmed Emmanuel Macron. “Is that what it’s about?” asked Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine. “When everyone comes across the same person saying the worst, based on a report, without even having the possibility of defending themselves (…) that with me is no“, firmly explained the Head of State, before discussing the current legal proceedings. “They will follow their path“, he said, and hammered out: “We have to respect our rules a little. You can accuse someone, maybe there is the victims – and I respect them so much and I want them to be able to defend their rights -, but there is also a presumption of innocence that exists“, insisted Emmanuel Macron on the subject of the affair targeting Gérard Depardieu.
>> PHOTOS – From Gérard to Julie: meeting with the Depardieu family
Depardieu affair: Emmanuel Macron “furious” after a decision taken by the Minister of Culture
Following the broadcast of Further investigation on December 7, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul-Malak expressed her “indignation” and asked the meeting of the council of the order of the Legion of Honor with the aim of committing “a disciplinary procedure“ against the actor. A position that would have made Emmanuel Macron “furious.” According to JDD, the President of the Republic would have expressed strong dissatisfaction after the comments of Rima Abdul-Malak. “In private, the head of state nevertheless recalls that he is the grand master of the Legion of Honor, and declares himself surprised that the minister, his former advisor at the Élysée, did not consult him“, indicated the weekly.
This Wednesday, December 20, from the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron returned to the decision taken by his Minister of Culture during the show C to you : “The Legion of Honour is an order, of which I am in fact the grand master, which is not there to preach morality. SO it is not on the basis of a report or this or that thing that we remove the Legion of Honor from an artist“, he estimated, specifying that Rima Abdul-Malak “a little too advanced.” The tone is set.
Photo credits: Screenshot France 5