Several of the 60 personalities who signed a petition in support of French actor Gerard Depardieu, who has been accused of rape and sexual harassment, have since distanced themselves from the move. Since then, three anti-Depardieu petitions have emerged, signed by thousands of artists and celebrities.
Issued on: February 1, 2024 – 3:57 p.m
3 minutes
On Monday, actor and director Jacques Weber became the latest French star to distance himself from an open letter titled “Don't delete Gerard Depardieu” published in the daily Le Figaro on Christmas Day.
Weber said he regretted his “blindness” after signing the petition in support of the disgraced film legend, who is accused of rape and faces a litany of other sexual harassment allegations.
“As a sign of friendship, I signed in haste, without asking… Yes, I signed, forgetting the sacrifices and fate of thousands of women around the world who are suffering from a situation that has been accepted for too long.” Weber wrote in a new opinion piece, which was published on New Year's Day by investigative website Mediapart.
“Despite the love or admiration that his friends, his family and the cinema family have for him [Depardieu]We must not prevent the truth from coming to light.”
“If we were guilty of accepting behaviors that are now unacceptable on film and theater sets, then yes, I was guilty,” Weber admitted.
Other figures have since distanced themselves, including Depardieu's former partner Carole Bouquet, Nadine Trintignant and Gérard Darmon.
Jacques Weber pictured on December 15, 2020 at the Théatre de l'Atelier, where he was scheduled to perform before the government canceled the reopening of theaters due to the Covid-19 pandemic. © RFI/Hird
Right connections
The unease stems in part from the revelation that the petition's author, Yannis Ezziadi – who is said to be close to Julie Depardieu, Gerard's daughter – writes for the ultra-conservative magazine Causeur, known for its links to far-right circles.
Meanwhile, Trintignant, whose daughter Marie was killed by singer Bertrand Cantat in 2003, told Le Point that she did not know who wrote the column and admitted she signed it because she was concerned with the poor treatment of Depardieu by the media didn't agree – whatever she did, she suffered from herself.
“I ask the people I shocked not to blame me for my grave mistake. I am against the media lynching – which I experienced with violence in the press – which spoke of a crime of passion against my daughter. Today we talk about it like “a murder and that’s a good thing,” insisted the actress and director.
On Sunday, actor Pierre Richard also distanced himself from the letter. “I signed without knowing which ideological movement the author of the petition belonged to,” he said.
Also on Sunday, actor Charles Berling posted a message apologizing to the victims.
“My position has obviously hurt a lot of people. I am deeply saddened and apologize. My commitment to combating violence against women is and always will be unwavering.”
8,000 artists signed our collective forum within 48 hours. A movement of solidarity and cohesion that warms our hearts and reassures us a little about the possibilities of our shared future.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/7wlThzYkhC
– Brains Not Available (@CerveauxNon) December 31, 2023
“Spit in the face” of the victims.
Since December 29th, over 8,000 artists have signed a counter-petition, including the singers Angèle, Louane and the rapper Médine.
The petition, organized by the “Cerveaux non disponible” (Brains not available) collective, particularly criticizes President Emmanuel Macron's response to the scandal.
Macron came to Depardieu's defense on December 20, claiming the “giant” actor had been the target of a “manhunt.”
However, the collective said that no matter how good their talent is, an artist should not benefit from special treatment.
“This forum and the defense of Macron are a slap in the face to the victims of Gérard Depardieu, but also to all victims of sexist and sexual violence,” the signatories wrote.
Another petition titled “Address to the Old World” was published on the Mediapart website on Sunday with around 70 signatures from cinema personalities such as Laure Calamy and Anouk Grinberg.
The latest petition was published on Monday by the French left-wing daily Libération, proclaiming that “art is not a totem of impunity.”
“There are no holy monsters. There are only ordinary people to whom we have given all the rights,” the text says.
The column was signed by 150 personalities from the cultural world, including actresses Muriel Robin, Alexandra Lamy and director Thomas Jolly.
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