“This does not make the victims disappear…”

The Francofolies return from July 10 to 15 in La Rochelle. The famous music festival will welcome singing stars such as Sting, Ninho and Pascal Obispo. And, among the headliners of this 2024 edition, an artist created controversy. Indeed, the arrival of Patrick Bruel is not viewed favorably by everyone! Why that ?

A feminist collective denounces the “silence” of Francofolies

Thursday July 11, Patrick Bruel must perform in front of the Francofolies audience. Three months before the concert, the Nous Tous 17 collective steps up to the plate against the singer of the hits Place of great men, Break your voice And Who has the right. The feminist association published a message to request its deprogramming. “We wrote to Francofolies to request the cancellation of its programming on July 11”we can read, pointing to the “silence” of the organization of the musical event.

The reason ? Patrick Bruel has been accused in recent years of sexual exhibition and sexual assault. “We are surprised by this choice of programming which does not correspond to the values ​​that you advocate in your sustainable development policy which notably notifies that ‘actions to combat sexist and sexual violence’ are being undertaken”, we can read. We All 17 believes that “allowing alleged attackers to be in the spotlight amounts to condoning intolerable acts”.

Two investigations dismissed in 2020

As a reminder, preliminary investigations targeted Patrick Bruel for assault, exhibition or even sexual harassment. Two masseuses accused the 64-year-old singer and actor for facts dating from 2019. Investigations, however, were closed without follow-up in September 2020, the justice system having therefore taken no sanction against Patrick Bruel. Other women charging the singer were heard at the time of the investigation for facts dating back to 2008.

A court decision mentioned by the feminist collective which remains unwavering in its boycott approach: “If today, the various investigations have been closed without further action, this does not mean that the victims’ testimonies disappear.” The collective deplores the “positive visibility” granted by the festival to Patrick Bruel and adds to be ready to “take public action” if their public letter is ignored. For his part, Patrick Bruel, who therefore remains innocent of the alleged facts in the absence of a legal conviction, has not yet spoken openly about this call for a boycott.