Patrick Bruel Cancels Concert Tour After Protests Over Sex Crime Probe
Patrick Bruel's Tour Cancellation and Ongoing Investigation
Background of the Cancellation
PARIS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - French singer and actor Patrick Bruel, one of France's best-selling recording artists, on Tuesday cancelled a series of concerts he had planned from October following protests against him after he was placed under formal investigation for sex crimes in June.
Bruel's Response to Allegations
He says he is innocent and is ready to defend himself in court.
Statements from Patrick Bruel
• "I observe that today, this tour has become something else. It has become the embodiment of a debate that transcends it," he said in a post on Instagram.
• "I refuse to let the public and the teams to be drawn into a debate that has no place in a concert hall," he said. "And most of all, I refuse to expose them to the slightest risk."
• "I choose appeasement," he said.
• The decision does not mean he gave up defending himself, he said.
Details of the Investigation
• The singer had been placed in June under formal investigation for rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, and harassment from 2008 to 2019 after spending two days in police custody.
Context: #MeToo Movement in France
• He is the latest high-profile French figure to face investigators in the wake of the #MeToo movement, after film star Gerard Depardieu was handed a suspended 18-month prison sentence last year for sexually assaulting two women on a film set.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Alistair Bell)
