“No, we are not proud of Gerard Depardieu,” former French President Francois Hollande said Thursday in response to comments by his successor, Emmanuel Macron, who the day before came to the defense of the actor accused of rape and sexual assault. according to AFP.

On Tuesday evening, Macron said on television that he was “a big fan of Gerard Depardieu (…), a huge actor.”

“He made France, our great authors, our great characters famous all over the world (…), he makes France proud,” continued the head of state, condemning the “hunt” after the showing of a shocking documentary about the movie star.

He was at odds with Culture Minister Rimi Abdul Malak, who announced on Friday that the Grand Office of the Legion of Honor would initiate “disciplinary proceedings” against the actor.

Macron’s comments drew backlash from many feminist associations and political leaders, as the actor, who is the subject of two complaints in France for rape and sexual assault, was charged in one of the two cases. He denies the allegations.

“He talked about Gerard Depardieu, his talent and the presumption of innocence. I’m going to talk to you about 14 women who were assaulted, about women who were humiliated, about women who were shocked by the images they saw, about all those women who, through Gerard Depardieu, see what violence, domination and contempt,” Hollande told France Inter radio station.

In total, 14 women testified about sexual violence by the actor, most of them during an investigation conducted in April by the information site Mediapart. The vast majority did not file complaints.

However, French film and television figures have already announced they will no longer work with him after a documentary showed behind-the-scenes footage of the star’s sexism and inappropriate behaviour.

For Francois Hollande, what was “expected” from Emmanuel Macron was “to talk about women, not just to say he is a great actor”.

“No, we are not proud of Gerard Depardieu,” the former president continued, “when, looking at a 12-year-old girl riding a horse, he sexualizes her. No, we are not proud.”

Although he acknowledged the “excesses” of social media, François Hollande emphasized that “at some point we must also speak openly and say what action entails for women”.

Emmanuel Macron “made this (women’s) issue the main issue of his five-year mandate, and now he is dealing with the problem of Gerard Depardieu,” he added.