After Lille and Bordeaux, Toulouse. Thursday evening, around fifty feminist activists gathered in front of the Barrière casino to oppose the holding of Gerard Depardieu’s show. If the show wasn’t canceled, it was delayed. Accused by fourteen women of sexual assault and rape, the actor is on tour for his show Depardieu sings Barbara. The group, made up mainly of women, blocked the road before being dispersed with tear gas by the police, according to La Dépêche du Midi.
The spectators were booed. “Public accomplice” shouted the demonstrators. An activist, Sophia explains that “by the time the investigation ends, Gérard Depardieu should not be in the light. We have to lower the curtain for him. The problem is that we see it everywhere. He is not worried. We need a society that separates the man from the artist”.
The demonstrators tried to advance towards the Barrière casino to prevent the concert from being held. But a police cordon prevented them from advancing. On a banner deployed by feminist activists, we can read “Gérard, the black eagle is you”. White character on black background. Others brandish signs: “No honor for rapists”, “I accuse the man, I fuck the artist” or “Curtain on Gérard”.
The demonstration lasted more than an hour according to La dépêche du midi. At 8:30 p.m. the police used tear gas canisters to disperse the party spoilers. A spectator, he advances the argument of the presumption of innocence and specifies: “as long as he is not indicted, I don’t mind going to see his show”.
In 2019, Charlotte Arnould filed a complaint and accused the actor of having raped her twice. Her complaint is dismissed, but in 2020, she becomes a civil party and the case is entrusted to an investigating judge. Gérard Depardieu was indicted on December 16, 2020 for rape and sexual assault. However, he “formally denies all the charges likely to come under criminal law”.
