“When 60 women speak, we cannot contest”, reacts Sandrine Rousseau

Sandrine Rousseau is in favor of the creation of a commission of inquiry into sexual and gender-based violence in the cinema sector called for by actress Judith Godrèche. “We are changing society,” rejoices the environmentalist MP.

“When 60 women speak, we cannot contest”, reacts Monday March 4 on franceinfo the environmentalist deputy of Paris, Sandrine Rousseau vis-à-vis Gérard Miller. The psychoanalyst, radio and television columnist and support of Jean-Luc Mélenchon is targeted by dozens of accusations of sexual violence, but disputes the facts.

Gérard Miller supported Sandrine Rousseau during the environmentalist primary for the presidential election in 2021. “He came to support me two or three times during the primary” but the member for Paris specifies that she is not “not very close” from him. The elected official known for her feminist commitment did not try to call Gérard Miller. “I don’t want to have him on the phone.” because “I absolutely know what he’s going to tell me, that it’s false and it doesn’t interest me,” explains Sandrine Rousseau. Gérard Miller is accused by women, some of them minors, for acts ranging from inappropriate behavior to rape. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Friday the opening of a preliminary investigation after at least six reports from women declaring they had “Suffered at least sexual gestures” on the part of the psychoanalyst. The person concerned says to himself “certain that he has not committed any offence”.

Sandrine Rousseau also believes that Dominique Boutonnat “must resign” from his position as president of the National Cinema Center (CNC). “He should never have been nominated anyway”, adds the MP. At 52, Dominique Boutonnat is referred to the criminal court for “sexual assault”. His godson, with whom he has no family ties, filed a complaint against him in October 2020 for acts dating from August of the same year. He was then 21 years old.

Hearing in the Senate by delegation for women’s rights, the actress Judith Godrèche also requested the “withdrawal” by Dominique Boutonnat. The latter, who disputes his godson’s accusations, was reappointed to his post in 2022. Judith Godrèche explains that she raised the subject with the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati: “She spoke to me about the presumption of innocence. I replied that that was not the question, that it was a question of symbol”the CNC being in charge of the fight against sexual violence in cinema.

Sandrine Rousseau also believes that these “choice” are not trivial. “Do we highlight, do we value, do we decide to give medals to people who have behaved badly?” she asks this Monday on Franceinfo. The MP believes that the cinema sector does not react “no way” worthy of the various speeches such as that of Judith Godrèche. Citing business “Depardieu and Polanski”Sandrine Rousseau confides that she has “the impression of an environment that resists”. She mentions “a somewhat passive, underground resistance to the extremely strong words of Judith Godrèche”.

“Between 1970 and 2010, society promoted child crime and rape, including in cinema”deplores Sandrine Rousseau, taking the example of the film The waltzers. According to her, this is what explains “this resistance. From now on, “we are changing society” and that’s why “we will have to look in the cupboards, change the methods of governance” but also “reflect on the image and place of women in cinema and reflect on the place of aggressors in this system”. Sandrine Rousseau is in favor of the creation of a commission of inquiry into sexual and gender-based violence in the cinema industry. The request was made by actress Judith Godrèche in the Senate. “We did it for example for sexual and gender-based violence in sport. We could very well do it in the cinema and what we would discover there would, in my opinion, be of a very significant magnitude”argues the member for Paris.