Brigitte Macron Faces Backlash After Insulting Feminist Protesters
Brigitte Macron received bipartisan backlash recently after a video surfaced showing the French first lady calling feminist protesters “stupid bitches” at a comedy event in Paris.
The now-deleted footage depicted Macron conversing with comedian Ali Abitan prior to the performance, assuring him that there would be no disruptions. Abitan faced allegations of rape in 2021 but was acquitted after a lengthy investigation, maintaining his innocence. The feminist group Nous Tootes protested against his return to the stage and interrupted the show.
“If there’s a stupid bitch out there, we kick them out,” she remarked.
Following the incident, Macron’s office clarified to Agence France-Presse that her comments were directed at the “extremist methods” of the protesting activists. This remark was made after Abitan expressed his fear regarding the disruptions.
Reactions were swift and intense. Marine Tonderia, the Green Party’s national secretary, described the comments as “extremely serious,” while conservative senator Agnes Evren criticized them as “very sexist.” Prisca Thévenot, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s party, referred to the remarks as “inelegant.”
Former President Francois Hollande weighed in, stating, “When it comes to women fighting violence against women, we don’t speak like that.” Actress Judith Godreche, a vocal advocate against abuse in the film industry, shared on Instagram, “I’m a stupid bitch too. And I support everyone else.”
The video was initially shared by a gossip outlet, Public, before its removal. They also shed light on the background of Abitan’s case, noting that while the accuser experienced post-traumatic stress, judges determined there wasn’t enough evidence to classify the encounter as coercive. Abitan continues to assert that the act was consensual.
Efforts by the Elysée to portray Macron’s comments as a strategic maneuver rather than a personal attack did little to ease the backlash, which sparked criticism from both the left and right, as well as within Macron’s own circle.
