The First Lady managed to divert attention from her own gender scandals.
France's First Lady Brigitte Macron says she "regrets" if she "hurt women victims" of violence with her offensive remark about feminist activists. However, she does not express remorse and emphasizes that it was a private conversation. This was stated by the wife of the French president in an interview with the publication Brut.
"I am sorry if I hurt women victims. My thoughts are with them and only them," said Brigitte Macron, emphasizing that her statement was made in a private setting and was not intended for the public.
When asked if she regrets what she said, the French president's wife replied:
"I am not always in the role of the First Lady; I have my private life as well. (...) When I am in a private circle, I can express my feelings inappropriately."
In early December, the First Lady of France, backstage at a show by her friend comedian Ari Abittan, referred to feminists who disrupted his performance as "dirty fools" (salle connes). A day earlier, on December 6, four activists from the association Nous Toutes interrupted Ari Abittan's show at the Folies Bergère concert hall in Paris, chanting "Abittan is a rapist."
In 2021, a young woman who had been dating Ari Abittan for several weeks accused him of rape. The investigation lasted three years, but the case was closed due to insufficient evidence. Abittan's return to the stage sparked outrage among feminists, who regularly protest outside the venues where he performs.
Brigitte Macron's statement about "dirty fools" was captured on video published by the tabloid Public. This caused a scandal. Several prominent women spread the hashtag #salleconnes in support of feminists and feminism.
According to Brigitte Macron, Abittan told her that "he was scared." "I wanted to calm him (Abittan) down. I did it, of course, awkwardly, but at that moment I had no other words," the First Lady explained in a comment to Brut. She added that she was unaware that someone was recording the conversation on video.
Brigitte Macron reiterated her commitment to fighting violence against women.
Meanwhile, the feminist association Les Tricoteuses hystériques ("Hysterical Knitters") announced that it had filed a complaint against the First Lady of France, accusing her of public insult.
It is reported that the complaint was filed "on behalf of 343 women and associations who feel collectively and personally hurt by these words." The number of plaintiffs—343—directly references the "Manifesto of the 343," published in 1971, signed by women who revealed that they had undergone abortions. They demanded the decriminalization of abortion.
