Feminists and politicians on the left have reacted angrily after the French president described the actor Gérard Depardieu – who is under formal investigation for rape and facing fresh scrutiny over sexist comments – as the target of a “manhunt”.
“You will never see me participate in a manhunt … hate that type of thing,” Emmanuel Macron told the broadcaster France 5, when asked about the possibility of stripping Depardieu of a state award after a documentary showed footage of sexist and inappropriate behaviour by the star.
