This Wednesday, June 3, Patrick Bruel was unable to take to the stage. The artist, accused of sexual assault and rape by several women, was initially scheduled to perform in Second Part alongside Stéphane Freiss and Marine Delterme at the Théâtre Édouard VII in Paris. But faced with the mobilization of feminist activists in front of the establishment, management finally made the decision to simply cancel the performance. A first since the start of this affair. According to Le Parisien and BFM TV, it is the NousToutes collective which is at the origin of the action. Even before the start of the show, several activists gathered in front of the theater in the 9th arrondissement, wearing masks bearing the image of the 67-year-old singer. Their message, chanted loud and clear: “No stage for the attackers, no audience for the rapists.” An unprecedented and determined mobilization, which finally got the better of the evening.
Patrick Bruel accused of sexual assault and rape: when feminist activists have his play canceled
The demonstration did not go unnoticed and quickly created tensions with the singer’s fans who were waiting to enter the room. Heated exchanges then broke out between the two camps, forcing the police to go there to maintain order. The activists finally left the scene and the public, relieved, was able to take their seats in the theater. Everything then seemed to be back to normal. But the evening would still have an unpleasant surprise in store. Shortly before 9 p.m., a voice rang out in the room asking the audience to leave, announcing the cancellation of the performance. As a spectator explained to TF1, management feared the presence of members of the collective within the theater, likely to disrupt the show. A decision which now raises questions about the future. Because if the play is supposed to be performed until Sunday, the reservation page for the Édouard VII Theater now displays an error message.
The singer cancels his concerts one by one
This is not the first time that the room has been disturbed. Last week, activists from the NousToutes collective infiltrated the audience and stood up at the start of the show to chant messages against Patrick Bruel. The performance was interrupted for a few minutes, while security evacuated them, before starting again from the beginning. This time, the management obviously decided not to take any risks and preferred to cancel straight away. More broadly, this affair is starting to have serious consequences on the career of the 67-year-old artist. Although he denies all of the accusations against him, Patrick Bruel has in fact made the decision to cancel several of his concerts planned for this summer at festivals, as well as dates in Switzerland and Canada. An unprecedented and delicate situation for the singer, who remains at this stage presumed innocent. To be continued.
