2023-12-16 14:53:10
Sexual violence file The lawyers of the actor targeted by several complaints for rape and sexual assault reacted this Saturday, December 16, the day after the announcement by Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak of a “disciplinary procedure” launched by the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour.
A counterattack as childish as it is heartbreaking. Gérard Depardieu places his Legion of Honor “at the disposal” of the Minister of Culture, his lawyers informed AFP this Saturday, December 16, after the announcement Friday evening by Rima Abdul Malak of the launch of a “ disciplinary procedure” by the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor against the French actor, recently targeted by a second complaint for sexual assault and indicted since 2020 for rape. Depardieu’s lawyers believe that the minister is dealing an “additional blow to an already dying presumption of innocence.”
Me Béatrice Geissmann Achille and Christian Saint-Palais also wonder if it is in the “function” of Rima Abdul Malak to participate “also actively in the manhunt” and the “media lynching” which they believe their client is about.
“A Legion of Honor distinguishes a man, an artist, an attitude, values. It turns out that I spoke with the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor, General Lecointre: a council of the order of the Legion of Honor will meet and will initiate a disciplinary procedure to decide whether this Legion of honor must be suspended or not, withdrawn completely or not. It will be up to them to decide,” explained Rima Abdul Malak on France 5, in the show C to you.
Refusal of “cancel culture”
“Obviously, Gérard Depardieu will be able to provide contradictory elements” during this procedure “but I understand that it can be done. It is important to open this question,” stressed Rima Abdul Malak, who however refuses any form of “cancel culture” against the cinematographic works in which the 74-year-old French actor appears. “I think we must continue to see the films in which Gérard Depardieu starred, we are not going to stop watching his films. On the other hand, I don’t believe that today anyone wants to have an evening tribute or celebration to Gérard Depardieu. We are not going to remove his films from our heritage, not at all!”, added Abdul Malak.
Traveling to Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne) with government spokesperson Olivier Véran earlier in the day, the minister declared that the actor’s comments and attitude during a trip to North Korea in 2018 are “shame on France”. In these images revealed by a Complément d’investigation report broadcast on France 2 at the beginning of December, the sacred monster of French cinema multiplies misogynistic and insulting remarks while addressing women, not sparing a little girl from his obscene remarks. “In this report, his attitude is intended to be joking, provocative, but [elle] is in fact quite disrespectful, unworthy and shameful to France,” she added, “disgusted.”
Gérard Depardieu has been indicted since 2020 for rape, following a complaint from an actress, Charlotte Arnould. Concomitantly with the broadcast of Complément d’investigation, a second complaint for sexual assault was filed by the actress Hélène Darras, for facts a priori prescribed, dating back to 2007 on a set.
“Behavior contrary to honor”
Gérard Depardieu received the Legion of Honor from French President Jacques Chirac in 1996. Created by Emperor Napoleon I at the beginning of the 19th century, this distinction rewards civilians and soldiers for their actions and services rendered to France. . Each year, many artists are awarded it. The code of the Legion of Honor provides for the French that “behavior contrary to honor” can lead to reprimand, suspension or exclusion from the order.
If the range of sanctions is wide for French recipients of the Legion of Honor, only one is provided for foreigners, that of “withdrawal”. It is then the subject of a decree signed by the President of the Republic, Grand Master of the order. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron, for example, initiated this disqualification process against Harvey Weinstein, accused of sexual assault and rape. The American producer was made a knight of the Legion of Honor by Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2012.
Update: Saturday December 16 at 1:52 p.m., with the addition of the statement from Gérard Depardieu’s lawyers.
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