It's been two years since comedian and actor Julien Lacroix was targeted by allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.

Julien Lacroix has also been sober for two years.

To underline his two years of sobriety, Julien Lacroix announced on Tuesday that he was going to record a podcast next week. This is called tiptoeing back.

But for some, even this timid return to public space is too soon, too big, and above all, too "badly timed."

AN ANTI-FEMINIST MOVEMENT?

When Julien Lacroix announced that he was coming back, many pointed out that he had chosen his moment badly. Why ? Because this week, Quebec is in shock at this story of a sexual aggressor engineer who obtained an absolution.

But the comparison doesn't hold water.

A dozen women contacted Le Devoir two years ago alleging that they had been kissed without their consent by Julien Lacroix and one alleging that they had been sexually assaulted. But none of the complainants has so far filed a complaint with the police. So no charges have been brought against Lacroix and none of the claims about him have been tested by the courts.

“In less than 5 days, I will celebrate my 2 years of sobriety, wrote Lacroix on his Instagram account. As I have been using since the age of 12, it is a great pride. »

Le Devoir contacted some of the women who had testified two years ago and one of them made a statement so startling that I reproduce it in full.

“What strikes me about Julien's uninhibited return is the timing and the situation in which he is part.

“Johnny Depp won his case, abortion is banned in several US states, and a woman from El Salvador has just been sentenced to 50 years in prison after her baby died at birth. The post-backlash

Why an "uncomplicated" return? The guy is not going to rent the Bell Center or the Place des Arts! He will record a question and answer podcast in front of... 25 people and donate all proceeds "to organizations dedicated to the prevention of alcoholism and drug addiction among young people".

What is the relationship with Johnny Depp (who won his case against Amber Heard)? This young woman who testifies in Le Devoir seems to have a very strange opinion of the justice system. And what is the relationship between a Quebec comedian and actor who has never been the target of a police investigation and has never been tried and defamed for domestic violence in the United States?

What's the connection between US Supreme Court justices preventing women from having abortions and a comedian doing a podcast in front of 25 people?

JUDGE AND PARTY

And one last question: how is it anti-feminist for an individual who has never faced justice, who has gone to therapy, who has lost all his contracts, to come back for one evening, two years later, to talk for an hour with twenty people?

Who decides when and how Julien Lacroix will be allowed to reintegrate into society?