“Gérard Depardieu faces protests and accusations during “Depardieu sings Barbara” tour”

The accusations of sexual and sexist violence against Gérard Depardieu, follow the actor even in his representations. Traveling to Lyon this Saturday for his “Depardieu sings Barbara” tour, the artist was welcomed by a feminist collective, who tried to hinder access to the performance hall and chanted slogans.

« The black eagle is you! Shame ! », we could hear in the middle of the concert. A reference to the rape suffered by singer Barbara by her father and which she recounted in the song the black Eagle. Gérard Depardieu was indicted in December 2020 for suspicion of rape and sexual assault on actress Charlotte Arnould. In a Mediapart survey, published in April 202313 women also accuse the actor of sexual violence, but without having filed a complaint.

Pig face masks

Shortly before the Lyon concert, a hundred activists from various women’s groups gathered in front of the hall located not far from the center of Lyon. The slogans chanted in chorus castigated “the aggressor” Depardieu and his « public complice ». Once inside, five female activists in the audience suddenly burst into the front of the stage screaming, with pig masks on their faces, before being pushed back by security.

« They follow the masses, they are poor children led by the nose,” commented the 74-year-old actor to the applause of some 1,400 people present at the Labor Exchange. In a press release, these activists from the Amazones Paris and Lyon collectives declared “refusing to let men accused of physical and sexual assault perform quietly on stage”.

The actor denies the accusations

« He continues to sing […] Barbara. He is currently starring in a movie. It’s unfair, terribly unfair.”said his main accuser Charlotte Arnould on Tuesday in an interview with BFMTV. According to the law firm Temime, in charge of defending him, the actor “formally deny” the accusations against him which have already led to him being barred from promoting his film « Umami »arisen at 17 never.

Since the end of April, several performances of the actor have already been agitated by demonstrators, in particular in Lille on April 28, then this week in Bordeaux and Toulouse. The next performance of the “Depardieu sings Barbara” tour is scheduled for June 10 in Tours.