President of France - Rape allegations against Gerard Depardieu: Macron speaks of "manhunt"
French President Emmanuel Macron has defended actor Gérard Depardieu, who has been criticized over allegations of rape and abuse. "There is one thing you will never see me doing, and that is manhunts," Macron said on French television station France 5 on Wednesday evening. "I detest that."
He was a "great admirer" of Depardieu, who was a "great actor", Macron continued. "He has made France famous, our great writers, our great personalities." Depardieu, known from films such as "The Last Metro", "Cyrano of Bergerac" and "Asterix and Obelix", made France "proud".
Accusations against Gerard Depardieu: Macron emphasizes the presumption of innocence
Macron emphasized that "there may be victims, but there is also the presumption of innocence". France must not slip into an "age of suspicion".
Just a few days ago, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak described Depardieu's behavior towards women as a "disgrace to France" and initiated his expulsion from the Legion of Honor. This was triggered by a documentary in which the film star can be seen making numerous vulgar and sexist comments during a filming trip to North Korea.
Depardieu - one of the most famous French actors in history - has been under investigation in France since the end of 2020 for allegations of rape. Actress Charlotte Arnould accuses the actor of raping her twice in his Paris apartment in 2018.
Recently, actress Hélène Darras also accused Depardieu of sexual assault during filming in 2007. Another complaint was recently filed by Spanish journalist and author Ruth Baza. Numerous other women have accused Depardieu of sexual assault in the past. The actor, who turns 75 on December 27, rejects all accusations.
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Source: www.stern.de
