Since she made public his complaint for rape against Patrick BruelFlavie Flament knows that she is exposed to strong reactions. Invited by l’émission This evening, broadcast on France 5 this Thursday, June 4, the host returned to the reasons which pushed her to come out of anonymity, but also to the consequences of her speaking out. On May 15, the former TF1 host announced that she had filed a complaint against the singer for acts she claims to have suffered in 1991, when she was only 16 years old. In a message posted on Instagram, she wrote: “10 ans après La ConsolationI have a new appointment with my past. And a man who plundered my adolescence”.
Facing Karim Rissouli, in a program dedicated to the theme “Bruel, a collective awakening?”Flavie Flament explained why she finally chose to reveal her identity when she had wanted to testify anonymously. “I had already been there. So, I know the burn of this experience. It was 10 years ago with La Consolation and the denunciation of rapes of David Hamilton. (…) I knew the price to pay. The price to pay is what I have experienced since the media coverage of my complaint, it is to see that all means are used to prevent me from speaking, to discredit my words, to smear me.”, a-t-elle confié.
Flavie Flament addresses admirers of Patrick Bruel
According to her, it was by observing the public’s reaction to Patrick Bruel that she decided to renounce anonymity. “After having testified anonymously in the second part, when I saw Patrick Bruel leaving the theaterto be applauded by your audience and to continue somewhere to insult the words of these women who preceded me (…) I said to myself: ‘It’s not possible and I have to do something now.’ That’s when I decided to come out of anonymity”she explained. Still during the France 5 show, Karim Rissouli also asked her what message she wanted to send to the singer’s many admirers.
After indicating that everyone should refer to “his own reflection and his own conscience in this matter”Flavie Flament a lancé : “I can understand that it is difficult to realize that we have been a victim, in a certain way, by being a fan of one of the biggest impostures that existed in France. It’s a deception that lasted for so many years. I think it can be very painful because with this sting of disappointment, these are parts of life that we must give up”. “There are people who have built themselves with songs. Listen to the lyrics of the songs now, the weight that it has when we listen to them like that, in the light of our truth”she added.
The host regrets the dreams “broken” by the attackers
The host then called for more listening and understanding towards the victims and assured that “It makes us less stupid, it makes us more human and it will perhaps allow society to move forward further on these issues.”. Finally, Flavie Flament wanted to recall what, according to her, rape represents, denouncing a progressive trivialization of the term in the public debate… “The word rape has entered everyday language. But what is rape? Concretely, it is a break-in into the intimate, an interior chaos”, she regretted at first.
Then he detailed his remarks as follows: “These are dreams that are broken, a soul that is trampled. It’s something of incredible violence. These are images that we have, these are smells. (…) We have to use real words when we talk about rape, we talk about penetration, we talk about violence, sometimes gentleness, but behind this gentleness, there is always violence and perversity. This is rape.”she recalled. A painful but valuable speech.
