French cinema legend Depardieu stripped of Belgian honorary title

A Belgian municipality on Saturday stripped French cinema legend Gerard Depardieu of the title of honorary citizen over misogynistic comments broadcast recently.

Depardieu, 74, was charged with rape in 2020 and has also faced 13 accusations of sexual harassment or assault.

A documentary titled "The Fall of the Ogre" aired on French TV this month showed the actor on a 2018 trip to North Korea repeatedly making explicit sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualising a small girl riding a horse.

In a statement, the Belgium municipality of Estaimpuis said it was revoking the title given to Depardieu when he lived there in 2013.

The local authorities said the comments by the actor broadcast on television "run counter to the values promoted by the municipality of Estaimpuis".

The Belgian decision comes after France's culture minister denounced Depardieu's behaviour and said a "disciplinary procedure" was being launched to decide whether to strip Depardieu of the country's top honour, the Legion of Honour.

The actor -- who has more than 200 roles to his name, including in the 1990 comedy "Green Card" and the Netflix series "Marseille" -- has denied any wrongdoing.

In the face of the growing controversy in France, Belgian media has reported that Depardieu has returned to live in the country in a village close to the French border.

Depardieu's initial move to Belgium back in 2012 was heavily criticised in his homeland as it was viewed as a way of dodging the French tax system.