Overview
- A since-deleted video first posted by the magazine Public shows the First Lady at the Folies Bergère on Sunday saying, in reference to potential disruptors, “if there are ‘sales connes,’ we’ll throw them out,” before Ary Abittan’s show.
- #NousToutes activists had interrupted Abittan’s performance on Saturday wearing masks labeled “violeur” and chanting, and the First Lady attended the next night with her daughter Tiphaine Auzière.
- Political figures from across parties condemned the language, with left-wing lawmakers urging apologies, Green leader Marine Tondelier calling the words “extremely grave,” and LR’s Agnès Evren saying they were “very sexist.”
- Voices in Macron’s camp acknowledged the phrasing was not appropriate, as deputy Prisca Thévenot called the words inelegant but criticized repeated stage disruptions, while former President François Hollande and CFDT’s Marylise Léon also reproached the comment.
- Feminist groups and public figures reclaimed the insult under the hashtag #salesconnes, while the First Lady’s entourage told AFP the comment targeted the activists’ radical method as protests continue over Abittan’s return following a non-lieu confirmed on appeal in 2025.