What is now nicknamed “the Patrick Bruel affair” is far from over. For several weeks, the singer and actor has been facing an avalanche of accusations of sexual assault and rape. Around thirty women testified against him, including presenter Flavie Flament, who accused him of rape when she was only 16 years old. In total, thirteen complaints have been filed in France and Belgium, and five investigations are currently underway. Despite this more than burdensome context, Patrick Bruel is preparing to embark on a huge anniversary tour across France, with no less than forty-three cities on the program. A perspective which clearly does not appeal to everyone, and which fuels an increasingly lively debate. As early as last April, several feminist collectives launched a petition purely and simply demanding the cancellation of all of its concerts.
Many celebrities sign against Patrick Bruel
This Saturday, May 23, 2026, the petition reached the milestone of 40,000 signatures on the Change.org website, proof that the mobilization is not weakening. And among the signatories of this forum, several celebrities have chosen to make a public commitment, like the actress Anna Mouglalis, who went even further by speaking this Sunday, May 24 on BFMTV to speak directly about the accusations against the singer. And that’s not all. As soon as the petition was launched, more than fifty artists, collectives and feminist associations had already added their signature, as reported by l’Humanité. Among them, the actresses Corinne Masiero and Anouk Grinberg, the journalist Giulia Fois, the actress Audrey Vernon, the authors Florence Porcel and Florence Mendez, the comedians Elodie Arnould and Julie Conti, and the singer Pomme, all of whom are demanding the pure and simple cancellation of the tour.
Tribune, organization… Is it really possible to cancel the singer’s tour?
But as La Tribune Dimanche reminds us, canceling Patrick Bruel’s tour is not an easy matter on a legal and financial level. “As long as there are no objective legal elements targeting the artist, such as custody or indictment, insurance companies most often refuse to cover,” explained Simon Clemenceau, lawyer at the Paris bar. Not to mention that the cancellation would generate “several million euros” in losses, according to estimates. But for Marie Meschi, media representative for the feminist collective Nous Tous and at the origin of the petition, maintaining the artist’s tour would send a much more serious signal. “Keeping the stage open to Patrick Bruel is sending a disastrous signal to women that their words have no place in the public space,” she warned in the columns of the newspaper on May 24. A warning which alone sums up the entire symbolic significance of the debate. Case to be continued…
