More women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by German film director Dieter Wedel. One actress said she first spoke up almost 40 years ago, but no one wanted to listen at the time.
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Esther Gemsch, the female protagonist of "Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten" ("Boards that Mean the World"), has said director Dieter Wedel tried to rape her during the shooting of a TV series in the early 1980s.
The Swiss actress told the respected Die Zeit newspaper that Wedel tried to rape her, choked her and hit her head on the side of a bed in a hotel room.
Germany's Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) has said files show the broadcaster was aware of cases involving accusations of sexual misconduct by director Wedel in 1981, but the broadcaster allowed the successful director to continue production.
In fact, the broadcaster's files contain a physician's expert opinion declaring Gemsch unfit to work because of her injuries after the alleged assault, and the fact that SR knew the injuries were the result of the alleged assault. Gemsch would eventually bow out of the production.
Her successor, Ute Christensen, has also come out with reports of harassment on set that put such a strain on the actress that she had a miscarriage. Die Zeit said Thursday it has affidavits from both actresses — and that there is proof of sexual misconduct by Wedel in 18 cases.
Shocked by the revelations, SR's current director, Thomas Kleist, has promised to clarify the broadcaster's role in the matter. It is unlikely the cases will go to court as they fall under the statute of limitations.
@dwnews - 100 days after its launch, the #MeToo movement continues
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Wedel, who earlier this month became the first prominent figure in Germany to be accused of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement emerged last year, has not reacted to the latest accusations.
Wedel has denied earlier claims, first published by Die Zeit in early January, that he pressured various women for sex decades ago.
On Monday, the 75-year-old resigned as head of the Bad Hersfeld theater festival, saying in a statement that the allegations had contributed to a decline in his health and left him "deeply disturbed and shaken." According to his spokesperson, Wedel has been hospitalized with heart problems.
Munich city prosecutors have begun a criminal investigation into one of several sexual assault allegations against Wedel.
French stars divided over #MeToo
An open letter signed by over 100 celebrities, among them Catherine Deneuve, in the newspaper Le Monde has caused an uproar in France, where stars are divided about the role of the #MeToo and #BalancetonPorc actions.
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Catherine Deneuve
Among the signatories of the open letter was Oscar-nominated French star Catherine Deneuve. Already known for her controversial stance toward harassment, Deneuve has said she finds the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc social media actions "excessive." That's after she expressed her support for director Roman Polanski, who is still wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
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Catherine Millet
Modern art expert and editor-in-chief of the magazine Art Press, Catherine Millet was also among the signatories who wrote, "Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or cack-handedly, is not — nor is men being gentlemanly a macho attack." Millet is perhaps best known for her book, "The Sexual Life of Catherine M.," a memoir tracing her 30 years in France's swinger scene.
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Ingrid Caven
German-born Chanson singer, Ingrid Caven, added her name to the open letter, which claims that the protest's legitimacy has turned into a "witch-hunt." "Instead of helping women, this frenzy (...) actually helps the enemies of sexual liberty — religious extremists and the worst sort of reactionaries. As women, we do not recognize ourselves in this feminism."
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Brigitte Lahaie
A radio talk show host who got her start in the porn industry in 1976, just a year after it was legalized, Brigitte Lahaie signed the letter, which speaks of a "purifying wave" that knows no limit. "(T)he human being is not monolithic: a woman can in the same day lead a professional team and enjoy being the sexual object of a man without being a 'slut' nor a vile accomplice of the patriarchy."
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#BalanceTonPorc
France's version of #MeToo is #BalanceTonPorc, or "call out your pig." Created by NY-based French journalist Sandra Muller, it essentially invites people to name names — and that involves legal risks. Muller herself was asked by lawyers to delete a tweet in which she named a French executive who had said offensive remarks.
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Ségolène Royal
Prominent feminists quickly responded to the letter signed by Deneuve, saying that it blurred the line between seduction and harassment and in doing so, harmed the "millions of women who suffer from this abuse." Former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal took to Twitter to express her dismay, saying, "It's too bad that our great Catherine Deneuve has signed on to this disconcerting text."
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Emma De Caunes
Among the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior is French actress Emma De Caunes. De Caunes said she had met Weinstein for lunch at a Paris Hotel in 2010. She was invited to his hotel room to discuss a project but after he walked out of his bathroom naked with an erection, Caunes fled. "It was like a hunter with a wild animal," she said. "The fear turns him on."
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Florence Darel
In October, actress Florence Darel also came out as having been sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, telling People magazine that Weinstein pursued her in the mid '90s and then propositioned her in a hotel room while his then-wife, Eve Chilton, was in the room next door. Darcel, who starred in "The Stolen Children" and "Uranus" has also accused other French producers, including Jacques Dorfmann.
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Isabelle Adjani
In October, shortly after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein went public, French actress Isabelle Adjani published an op-ed in the weekly JDD newspaper saying, "(T)his is not a game … When an actress dresses up in a seductive way to get a role, it's not to get raped!" She went on to say that in France, "things are more sneaky" than in the US — but "seduction" cannot be an excuse for assault.
