French actor and producer Gérard Depardieu, known as the national actor of France, was convicted of sexually assaulting a female colleague during film shooting. As a result, French society, which has remained silent on the long-standing sexual violence accusation movement "Me Too," is said to be experiencing changes following this ruling.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 15th (local time), the Paris Criminal Court found Depardieu guilty of sexual assault on the 13th and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended. Depardieu was charged with sexually assaulting two female staff members on the set of the 2022 film "Les Volets Verts" but has consistently denied the allegations, claiming he had "no sexual intent."
Following this ruling, Depardieu is required to pay €39,000 (approximately 57 million won) to the victims and is barred from holding public positions for the next two years. He will also be registered on the national sex offender list.
Depardieu has faced allegations of sexual crimes multiple times but avoided prosecution due to lack of evidence or the expiration of the statute of limitations. In the trial last March, his lawyer strongly rebuked the complainants, calling them "liars and hysterics."
Whenever he has been embroiled in sexual misconduct scandals, famous figures in French society, including actors and politicians, have publicly defended Depardieu. President Emmanuel Macron also stated, "Depardieu makes France proud," which drew criticism for inciting secondary victimization.
The NYT pointed out that this atmosphere aligns with the prevailing culture of trivializing sexual crimes throughout French society. Even after the Me Too movement was sparked in 2017, France has faced criticism for excessively passive judicial measures against sexual crimes.
Indeed, while the number of sexual violence cases in France has increased recently, the rate of cases that lead to investigations is declining. According to the Paris Public Policy Institute, as of 2020, the suspension rate of investigations for sexual crime cases reached 94%, an increase of about 15 percentage points compared to 82% in 2012. Women's organizations argue that this indicates "not an increase in reported cases, but rather an increase in sexual crimes themselves."
However, strong actions from the judiciary against the "cinema giant" indicate that social change is being sensed in France. In April, the French National Assembly passed a bill explicitly stating the criteria of "consent" in the legal definition of rape and conducted the first national legislative investigation into sexual crimes in the cultural and artistic sector.
Experts point out that the deeply rooted "cult of genius creators" in French culture has led to a culture of power abuse and impunity. Sandrine Rousseau, a member of the Green Party Korea, stated, "The atmosphere of protecting male creators has created a culture of tolerance towards sexual crimes in France," while noting, "The younger generation no longer intends to tolerate this."
Meanwhile, Depardieu's side has announced its intention to appeal the ruling immediately. Since Depardieu is contesting the legitimacy of the trial itself, the controversy is expected to continue for the time being.