A Belgian municipality has stripped French film legend Gerard Depardieu of the title of honorary citizen because of comments characterized as misogyny, AFP reported.
They were aired in a French documentary earlier this month.
Depardieu, 74, was accused of rape in 2020 and has also been accused of 13 counts of sexual harassment or assault.
The documentary "The Fall of the Ogre", which aired on French public television on December 7, showed clips of the actor during a trip to North Korea in 2018.
He repeatedly made explicit sexual comments in the presence of an interpreter, sexualizing a little girl riding a horse.
The actor's lawyers criticized the documentary in a statement, saying it was a "controversial and questionable program that broadcasts a montage of images taken in the intimate and private sphere".
But the Belgian municipality of Estaimpuis announced it was revoking the title given to Depardieu when he lived there in 2013.
Local authorities said the actor's comments, broadcast on television, "contrary to the values promoted by the municipality of Estaimpuis".
Belgium's decision comes a day after France's culture minister condemned Depardieu's behaviour.
Rima Abdul Malak said she was starting a "disciplinary procedure" to decide whether to strip him of the country's highest honour, the Legion of Honour. /BGNES
