Emmanuel Macron does not convince the French in his defense of Gérard Depardieu

Was Emmanuel Macron right to step up, so quickly and so strongly, to defend the honor of Gérard Depardieu? Two surveys published in quick succession show that the French do not follow him in his denunciation of a “manhunt” after the broadcast of the Supplementary investigation devoted to the actor.

In an Elabe study for BFM broadcast on Wednesday, 50% of those questioned believe that the President of the Republic “supported Gérard Depardieu too much”, while 22% judged that his comments were “balanced” and 28% declared themselves to have no opinion. According to a Cluster17 survey for Le Point, less than one in three people surveyed (31%) agree with Emmanuel Macron in the Depardieu affair.

Contrary to the idea of ​​a gap between young and old on these issues, the critical view of the exit of the head of state runs almost uniformly across all generations. 50% of 18-24 year olds consider that Macron supported Depardieu too much, but also 53% of 25-34 year olds, 49% of 50-64 year olds or 51% of those over 65, according to the Elabe study. Roughly similar observation in the Cluster17 study: Emmanuel Macron did not mainly agree with any age category and their results even show that two thirds of those aged 75 and over reject the president's position.

Considering the partisan preferences of those questioned, Emmanuel Macron did not even fully convince his voters. According to Elabe, 43% of supporters of the majority believe that his comments were balanced, compared to 42% who believe that he went too far. The most critical remain the left-wing voters who condemn 65% of his support for Depardieu, compared to 48% of RN voters and 37% of LR voters. In the Point study, the share of respondents who judge that the actor is the victim of a “manhunt”, according to the expression of Emmanuel Macron, increases from 11% among people who say “ very left” to 59% among those who claim to be “very right”. More annoying for the President of the Republic, only 28% of respondents declared “centrists” share his opinion.

Elabe also submitted extracts from various columns published in recent days, including that in favor of Depardieu published in Le Figaro. The signatories of this last text believe that “when we attack Gérard Depardieu in this way, it is art that we attack. Through his genius as an actor, Gérard Depardieu contributes to the artistic influence of our country. “Cinema and theater cannot do without his unique and extraordinary personality. To deprive yourself of this immense actor would be a tragedy, a defeat. The death of art,” they write again. This presentation of the Depardieu affair was rejected by 81% of those questioned, with 33% saying they did not really agree and 48 not agreeing at all.

Conversely, the people questioned overwhelmingly recognized themselves in the extracts from the counter-opinion published on December 29 on the website Cerveaux non avaliables and initialed by 8,000 people including the singer Pomme, the actress Corinne Masiero, the comedian Guillaume Meurice, the activist Rokhaya Diallo and the rapper Médine. Three out of four people surveyed (75%) say they agree with the extract “Let justice do its job. But we must also do ours. That of supporting the victims and not leaving aggressors, rapists, oppressors alone. That they can no longer think that they can act with impunity, and sometimes even be rewarded and glorified. » 58% share the idea that the platform of support for Depardieu and the defense of Emmanuel Macron “are so much spitting in the face of the victims of Gérard Depardieu but also of all the victims of sexist and sexual violence”. “It is the sinister and perfect illustration of the world before which refuses to let things change.”

Before Emmanuel Macron spoke on the subject in “C à vous”, on December 20, only the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak had taken a position, denouncing “the absolutely shocking remarks” of the actor, an attitude “quite disrespectful and unworthy. According to her, Gérard Depardieu even brings “shame to France”. It was bad for him; she had seen herself publicly rebuffed by Emmanuel Macron. Do these polls change the situation and will they influence the position of the head of state? The Élysée has not returned to the issue while the Depardieu storm is in full swing. But, curiously, government spokesperson Olivier Véran made his comment Thursday morning, despite the president's warnings. Gérard Depardieu’s comments “shock me”, he explained on BFMTV. “I am shocked by the comments I have seen, which I find invalid,” he added, specifying that “it is up to justice to define things”.