18.12.2025 19:41
In France, First Lady Brigitte Macron is being sued for derogatory remarks she made towards feminist protesters during a theater performance in Paris. Following the incident, 343 women, who hold symbolic significance in French feminism, officially filed a complaint against Macron for "public insult."
French President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte Macron, has been sued for remarks she made towards feminist protesters during a theater performance in Paris. Following Macron's comments, women's rights organizations and feminist groups filed an official complaint.
343 WOMEN FILED A COMPLAINT
343 women, who hold symbolic significance in French feminism, filed a complaint against Brigitte Macron on the grounds of "public insult." The number of complainants being set at 343 is seen as a reference to the historic petition signed in 1971, in which 343 women declared that they had terminated their pregnancies to legalize abortion in France.
PROTEST AND REACTION AT THE THEATER
The incident occurred at the Folies Bergère theater in Paris. During the performance of French actor and comedian Ary Abittan, who had previously been accused of rape but had the case dropped, feminist activists protested on stage, chanting "Abittan, rapist."
A video surfaced on social media showing Brigitte Macron, who was watching the performance with her daughter and friends, using the term "sales connes" (stupid bitches) towards the protesters and saying, "we'll throw them out" if they reappear.
"HER WORDS ARE SIGNIFICANT"
Juliette Chapelle, the lawyer for the feminist groups that filed the lawsuit, stated in an interview with France Inter radio, "She is France's first lady. What she says has public significance."
ABITTAN CASE WAS DISMISSED
The rape investigation against Ary Abittan, which was opened in 2021, was closed due to lack of evidence before it could go to court in 2024, and this decision was upheld by the appeals court at the beginning of 2025.
FEMINISTS: WE ARE AGAINST A CULTURE OF IMPUNITY
The feminist campaign group Nous Toutes (All of Us), which participated in the theater protest, stated that the action was carried out to protest the "culture of impunity" against sexual violence in France.
MACRON'S STATEMENT
Brigitte Macron described her remarks captured in the video as "comments made in a private context" in a statement to the media outlet Brut. Macron expressed, "I am sorry if I hurt women victims."