French celebrities pen letter in defence of assault-accused actor Gerard Depardieu

Gerard Depardieu came under fire earlier this month after comments he made were broadcast in a new documentary

More than 50 French actors, performers, writers and producers have signed a letter in support of veteran actor Gerard Depardieu, who is facing rape and sexual assault charges – as well as new allegations of harassment.

Charlotte Rampling, Mr Depardieu’s former partner, Carole Bouquet, and former French first lady and singer Carla Bruni are among signatories to the letter, which warned that the actor was the victim of a “torrent of hatred”.

“We can no longer remain silent in the face of the lynching he is facing,” they said.

French actor Gerard Depardieu has described the letter as "beautiful".

The letter added that the attacks were “in defiance of a presumption of innocence from which he would have benefited, like everyone else, if he weren’t the cinema giant he is.”

“When people attack Gérard Depardieu in this way, they are attacking art,” the letter added.

“France owes him so much. Cinema and theatre cannot do without his unique and extraordinary personality. Nobody can erase the indelible imprint of his work on our times.”

Earlier this month, a documentary, ‘Depardieu: The Fall of an Ogre’, renewed accusations against the actor, who has been under formal investigation for alleged rape and sexual assault since 2020 following allegations by actor Charlotte Arnould.

The documentary showed Mr Depardieu, who knew he was being filmed during a trip to North Korea in 2018, making obscene comments to women, and about women during the visit – as well as sexual comments about a minor who was riding a horse.

The publication of the letter comes days after French president Emmanuel Macron came under fire for his own defence of Mr Depardieu.

Mr Depardieu, who is turning 75 this week, has welcomed the letter, titled “Don’t erase Gérard Depardieu”, describing it as “beautiful” and called the signatories “courageous”.

However, rights groups have spoken out about the move.

Laurent Boyet, founder of Les Papillons, a group that fights violence against children, said the letter was “indecent” and added that the organisation was dropping one of the signatories, actor Pierre Richard, as its ambassador.

“We are and always will be on the side of the victims,” Mr Boyet said.

Anne-Cecile Mailfert, head of the Women’s Foundation, said that “no one is above the law”, while activist Emmanuelle Dancourt, of the MeTooMedias group, said she was “saddened” and “appalled” by the letter.

“The people who do this are our friends, our fathers, our husbands, our neighbours, our colleagues, people we know,” she said.

Last week, Mr Macron said he believed the actor was the target of a “manhunt”.

“You will never see me participate in a manhunt…hate that type of thing,” he said in response to a question in an interview about whether Mr Depardieu should be stripped of a state award, the Legion of Honour.

French culture minister Rima Abdul Malak had said a disciplinary procedure was in place to remove the award.

François Hollande, the former socialist president, told a French radio station: “No, we are not proud of Gérard Depardieu, when, while looking at a young girl of 12 years old riding a horse, he sexualises her.”