Overview
- A widely shared backstage video published by Public on December 8 shows Brigitte Macron telling comedian Ary Abittan that protesters were "sales connes" and saying they would be ejected.
- The exchange followed a #NousToutes action on December 6 in which masked activists disrupted Abittan's Paris premiere and labeled him "violeur".
- Macron's office said the comment was aimed at the activists' "radical methods" and intended to reassure Abittan before his performance, not to disparage the broader cause.
- Politicians and public figures criticized the language, while #NousToutes amplified the clip, adopted the hashtag #salesconnes, and promoted related merchandise.
- Abittan was accused of rape in 2021, but the investigation was closed in April 2024 and that decision was confirmed by an appeals court in January 2025.