Scandal in France, after a video in which Brigitte Macron insults the activists who upset the performance of a comedian accused of rape
Brigitte Macron, Photo: Patrick Kovarik / AFP / Profimedia Images
Feminists expressed their outrage on Monday after images circulated in which the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, used an insult to the activists who disrupted the performance of a comedian who had once been accused of rape, writes AFP.
The first lady's team said Brigitte Macron wanted to criticize the “radical method” of the protest.
A stand-up performance by 51-year-old comedian Ary Abittan on Saturday was interrupted by activists wearing masks with his face and the message “rapist” and chanting “rapist Abittan”.
In 2021, a woman accused the actor of rape, but investigators dropped the case in 2023, citing a lack of evidence.
The first lady spoke with the comedian on Sunday
On Sunday, Brigitte Macron and her daughter went to see the comedian's show, and the French president's wife chatted with Abittan before he took the stage, according to a video released Monday by local publication Public.
“I'm scared,” Abittan is heard saying in the video.
“If there is any 'damn fool' (in the original, 'connes', a vulgar term in French), we will kick her out”, Brigitte Macron is heard saying in a joking tone.
The feminist group behind Saturday's action, #NousToutes, turned the insult into a social media hashtag, and it was shared in numerous posts in support.
Among those who have used it is the actress Judith Godreche, who became a symbol of feminism after she accused two directors of sexually abusing her when she was a minor, calling for such behavior to be removed from the French cultural sector.
„Și eu sunt o proastă nenorocită”, a scris actrița pe Instagram.
“An insult to victims and feminist groups”
An activist who attended the rally, who gave herself the pseudonym Gwen to avoid any repercussions, said the group was “deeply shocked and outraged” by the first lady's language.
“It's yet another insult to victims and feminist groups,” she said.
The first lady's team argued that Brigitte Macron's statement should be interpreted as “a criticism of the radical method used by those who disrupted the show”.
“Brigitte Macron does not approve of this radical method,” a member of her team told AFP.
