Belgium: Gérard Depardieu loses his title of honorary citizen of a municipality

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: THIERRY ROGE / BELGA / AFP 22:46 p.m., December 16, 2023

Gérard Depardieu was stripped on Saturday of the title of honorary citizen of the municipality of Estaimpuis, Belgium, which had given it to him in the summer of 2013 when he was living there, municipal authorities announced. The remarks made by the French actor in the program "Complement" of France 2 "go against the values advocated by the municipality of Estaimpuis", justified in a statement the mayor and the aldermen (deputies) who took this decision.

Towards a loss of his Legion of Honour?

In a report for "Complement" broadcast at the beginning of December, the former sacred monster of French cinema multiplies misogynistic and insulting remarks when addressing women, not sparing a little girl with his obscene remarks. The withdrawal of this honorary title in Belgium is announced at a time when in France a "disciplinary procedure" is looming that could lead to the loss of his Legion of Honor by Gérard Depardieu.

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Through his lawyers, the actor replied on Saturday that he was putting his prestigious award "at the disposal" of the French Minister of Culture. The lawyers again denounced a violation of the presumption of innocence of the man who is targeted in France by two complaints of rape and sexual assault but has not yet been tried. Against a backdrop of growing controversy in France, several Belgian media have reported in recent days the return of Gérard Depardieu to Belgium, still in the region of Tournai (west) near France, as in 2012-2013.

"A citizen like any other, no more and no less"

The municipality of Tournai confirmed to AFP that the actor, who will turn 75 at the end of December, lived in a house on the slopes of Mont-Saint-Aubert, a village that depends on this commune. He has been living there for about two months, according to the same source. "For me, he is a citizen like any other, no more and no less," said the mayor of Tournai, Paul-Olivier Delannois, quoted by the Belga agency. The mayor said he did not know the reason for this new crossing of the Franco-Belgian border by the actor.

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At the end of 2012, Gérard Depardieu moved to the Belgian border village of Néchin, provoking strong criticism from the highest levels of the state over his supposed intention to evade the French tax system. This village in the commune of Estaimpuis is known for having attracted several large French fortunes, notably from the Mulliez family (Auchan group). "I am a citizen of the world (...) I'm settled in this village mainly for its calm," Gérard Depardieu said at the time. His stay there was relatively brief, but on August 19, 2013 the municipal college of Estaimpuis decided to make him an honorary citizen for "his fabulous career as an actor".