««Macron’s France is also this: the trivialization of rape and the total lack of respect for those who fight for justice», the MEP wrote on X Emma Fourreau (LFI), commenting on the viral video in which Brigitte Macron defines «ugly bitches…/ dirty pussies» (literal translation of sales conn) the feminist activists protesting against the actor accused of rape Ary Abittan. On December 6, the militants of the feminist collective NousToutes they wore masks depicting the actor accompanied by the words “rapist” and interrupted his show at Folies Bergère of Paris.
«Ugly bitches…»: Brigitte Macron against the feminists who interrupted Ary Abittan’s show
The next day, the Première Dame visited Abittan in the dressing roomstogether with his daughter Tiphaine Auzière. «I am afraid», the actor confided to her. «If there are any bad bitches, we’ll kick them out», replied Brigitte Macron smiling. «Especially if they are masked bandits».
The protest against Ary Abittan and the rape accusation
In 2021 Ary Abittan was investigated for rape After the complaint of a young woman with whom he had had an affair. The girl accused him of forcing her to have sex without her consent. The investigation, duration three yearsled magistrates and investigators to collect testimonies, reports and evidence. At the end of the investigations, the French justice system established that there was “no sufficient or consistent evidence” to support the accusation in court. In 2024 the case was dismissed with a non-placedecision confirmed on appeal in January 2025. After this decision, Abittan has resumed performing, but her return to the stage continues to be contested by feminist collectives, who consider her reinsertion into the show symbolically problematic.
The defense of the Première Dame’s entourage: «a criticism of the radical method»
Interviewed by AFP, Brigitte Macron’s team specified that the exchange with Abittan took place in a informal and unofficial context. His words – they explain to the press – they didn’t mean to insult the activists, but they represented a criticism of the “radical method” used by the militants to interrupt the performance: «This exchange must be seen only as a comment on the fact that the masked activists prevented the artist from performing. Ua criticism of the radical method used by those who stopped the show».
The indignation of feminists and the political world
The explanations from the Elysée, however, did not calm the controversy. Various exponents of Nous Toutes defined the words of the Première Dame «a slap in the face to the victims» and «a devastating message» for those who report violence. On social media, the hashtag #SalesConnes it quickly went viral, also relaunched by the actress and activist Judith Godrèchekey figure of the movement #MeToo French: “I’m a dirty pussy too, and I support all the others», he wrote sharing the video.
The collective’s protest does not only aim to contest Abittan’s presence on stage, but also to denounce the normalization of gender violence and what they consider an increasingly evident gap between the promises of the Macron presidency (with his five-year plan to combat sexual violence) and reality: «We denounce auditoriums that roll out the red carpet for men accused of rape. It is a public insult to the victims».
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