Originally published May 12, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, defended a controversial artwork displayed at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris that has been the subject of public outrage and legal disputes, according to a report from The Blaze.
The artwork, created by Swiss agitpropist (someone who vigorously promotes political ideas) Miriam Cahn and titled “F*** abstraction,” graphically portrays an adult sexually assaulting a childlike figure.
Cahn insists that the piece serves to “condemn rape as a weapon of war,” as reported by the Telegraph.
Children’s rights organizations and concerned citizens have criticized the painting as child pornography and have urged its removal, The Blaze notes.
Innocence in Danger, a children’s advocacy group, along with other organizations have argued the artwork incites predators and puts minors at risk, in violation of French law.
“We don’t care that Miriam Cahn claims she’s denouncing war crimes. It doesn’t matter. … The first impression given by this painting… is that they are children,” stated Homayra Sellier, the founder of Innocence in Danger.
Despite garnering about 14,000 signatures on a petition against the artwork and raising the issue in the National Assembly, efforts to remove the painting have been unsuccessful.
Court appeals were rejected on the grounds that the painting did not violate child safety or human dignity, and that the “artist’s only intention is to denounce a crime.”
A museum lawyer highlighted the ruling as a victory for freedom of expression.
However, the controversy escalated when Pierre Chassin, a former member of the rightist party Front National, allegedly defaced the artwork with purple spray paint on May 7.
The individual involved was reportedly “unhappy with the sexual portrayal of a child and an adult presented in the painting,” as per Le Monde.
In response to the defacement, Macron expressed his stance on the matter, stating, “Targeting a work of art is an attack on our values. In France, art is always free and respect for artistic creation is guaranteed.”
Abdul Malak echoed this sentiment, describing the incident as “a direct attack on freedom of expression, which is quite serious.”
The President’s defense of the artwork has been met with criticism, particularly in light of the recent arrest of a woman, known as Valérie, for criticizing him online.
Despite his proclaimed support for freedom of expression, Macron did not intervene in Valérie’s case.
“They want to make an example of me,” she told La Voix du Nord.
