France’s first lady Brigitte Macron has sparked outrage among French celebrities and feminists after she used sexist and derogatory language to describe protesters on a comedian’s show.
Brigitte Macron attended Sunday’s performance by stand-up comedian Aly Abitan, who was accused of rape by his ex-partner in 2021. After a three-year investigation, the case was dismissed, a decision later upheld by a French court.
In a conversation with Brigitte Macron that was captured on camera and briefly published online ahead of the show, the comedian said she felt “scared” by the protesters interrupting her show.
Brigitte Macron replied: “If there are any stupid bastards, I’ll kick them out,” before laughing and claiming that she promised Abitan not to talk about “issues” tonight, apparently referring to the activists.
Activists from the French feminist group #NousToutes, many wearing masks bearing his image, interrupted the comedian’s Saturday night show.
French feminists and celebrities quickly adopted the slur on social media, allying themselves with victims of sexual abuse.
Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard shared a black image on her Instagram account with the message “I’m a stupid woman” above it. The French actress, who won an Oscar in 2008 for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, captioned the post: “et fière de l’être,” or “and I’m proud of it.”
French government spokeswoman Maud Blejon appeared on French television on Wednesday morning to criticize the activists who protested Abitan’s show. She said their actions showed a disregard for the decisions made by the court, adding: “It shocked me deeply.”
Asked whether Brigitte Macron should apologize for his comments, Mr Brejon firmly answered “no”.
Other politicians were less supportive. Marine Tondelier, head of France’s Green Party Les Ecologists, told BFMTV that the first lady’s comments were extremely serious. “A first lady shouldn’t say something like that,” the lawmaker said. She added that although the case was dismissed, “feminists also have a right to have their say on this matter.”
Former French President Francois Hollande told RTL radio on Tuesday that Brigitte Macron’s words were poorly chosen. “Even though we can criticize this format, when it comes to women fighting violence against women, we don’t use those words,” President Hollande said.
