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As Patrick Bruel’s anniversary tour sparks controversy, his longtime friend Élie Chouraqui spoke out on RTL radio this Wednesday, August 26. The director, torn between his affection for the singer and his unease regarding the accusations, now awaits the full truth of the matter from the justice system.
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Indicted in four cases of sexual violence and placed under the status of assisted witness in four others, Patrick Bruel is the subject of some thirty complaints for alleged sexual assault and rape. While he firmly denies these accusations and remains presumed innocent, his anniversary tour, organized to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the album  Alors regarde , is now at the heart of a heated controversy. This Wednesday, August 26, his longtime friend, director Élie Chouraqui, chose to speak out on RTL radio. The filmmaker, who has known Patrick Bruel for many years, first wanted to emphasize the strength of their bond. ”  Friendship is like love. Friendship is something that never goes away  ,” he explained. However, the director doesn’t hide his unease at the revelations surrounding his friend and says he distinguishes between the artist he knows and the one whose story is now being told in the media. ”  For me, there are two men. There’s the man whose astonishing story I read in the media. And then there’s the one I know,  ” he confided to RTL. Élie Chouraqui maintains that he has spoken several times with Patrick Bruel, whom he describes as ”  deeply affected  .”