On Sunday, stand-up comedian Ary Abittas, who was accused of rape by a former partner in 2021, performed in Paris.
In a conversation with Brigitte Macron, the wife of the country's president, which was captured on film, Abittas said before the performance that he was worried that he would be interrupted by feminist protesters since this had happened the night before.
"If any such fucking hags appear ("sales connes" in French), we will kick them out," Brigitte Macron replied at the time, according to media in Paris.
The comment has not gone unnoticed. After the video clip was published online, several French feminists and celebrities have used the term on social media. In an Instagram post, for example, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard writes, "I'm a fucking slut and proud of it."
French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon has responded to the storm of criticism by instead criticizing the activists for not respecting the court's decision in the rape case. When asked whether Brigitte Macron should apologize for her statement, Bregeon replied "no."
