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French Actor Depardieu Gets Enthusiastic Welcome (And a Personal Greet from Putin) After Fleeing Socialist France

Jan. 7, 2013 10:10am Erica Ritz

French Actor Depardieu Gets Welcome From Russias Putin After Fleeing High Taxes

French actor Gerard Depardieu, left, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival late Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, at the president’s residence in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. (Photo: AP)

(TheBlaze/AP) — The day after receiving his new Russian passport from President Vladimir Putin, French actor Gerard Depardieu flew Sunday to the provincial Russian town of Saransk, where he was greeted as a local hero and offered an apartment for free.

Depardieu had sought Russian citizenship as part of his battle against a proposed 75% tax on millionaires in France, opting instead for Russia’s flat 13% rate.

Putin granted Depardieu’s request last week and then welcomed the actor late Saturday to his residence in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Russian television showed the two men embracing and then chatting over supper, discussing a soon-to-be-released film in which Depardieu plays Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.

This photo taken on January 5, 2013 shows French actor Gerard Depardieu (L) speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) during their meeting at Putin’s residence in Sochi. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

On his Sunday trip to Saransk, a town about 500 kilometers (300 miles) east of Moscow, Depardieu was met at a snow-covered airport by the governor and a group of women in traditional costume singing folk songs. He flashed his new passport to the crowd before setting out on a tour of the town.

The governor invited Depardieu to settle in Saransk and offered him an apartment of his choice, according to reports on state television.

“I am very happy, it’s very beautiful here, beautiful and soulful people live here,” Depardieu reportedly said of his new home.

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who has left his homeland to avoid higher taxes, shows off his new Russian passport on January 6, 2013 at Mordovia airport in Saransk, where he has been offered residence. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Depardieu has not said where he will take up residence in Russia, only that he does not want to live in Moscow because it is too big and he prefers a village.

The Frenchman has spent a fair bit of time in Russia in recent years, including for the filming of the French-Russian film “Rasputin,” and has expressed an admiration for Putin.

But it is Russia’s low taxes that appear to be the biggest draw at the moment, as France continues to, in his words, punish “success, creation and talent.”

The Agence France-Presse has video of the reception:

France’s new Socialist government tried to raise the tax on income above €1 million ($1.3 million) to 75 percent from the current 41 percent earlier this year. That plan was struck down by the highest court, but Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac said Sunday that the government is reworking the law so that the “super rich”will still be forced to pay an elevated rate. He said the government is also considering putting the new tax in place for longer than the two years initially proposed.

“I find it a bit pathetic that for tax reasons this man — whom by the way I admire infinitely as an actor — has decided to exile himself,” Cahuzac said.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault described the actor as “shabby and unpatriotic,” according to the BBC.

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Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.

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Comments (24)

Kregneva
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 12:41pm
Chotto matte- Another reason AvengerK was Owned Friday is that it was compelled to delete it’s opponents responses. Hai, wakarimasu!

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Kregneva
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 12:28pm
AvengerK was OWNED on Friday when it was forced to beg for attention and had to waste the majority of the day searching the web to find and delete evidence of its Australian citizenship. (These are its previous observations on the Blaze on four occasions dating back to April 2011!) Quite funny actually, this AusTROLLian poser loses access to it’s bosses computers on weekends and holidays, and becomes a mite testy. AvengerK three points, opponents 12.

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hauschild
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:29am
Gerard’s really gotta bulbous nose, doesn’t he? Just sayin’.

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- DREDGE
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 3:06pm
  That’s not his nose, it is an explosive hemmoroid!!!
  
  Report this comment
NickyLouse
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:19am
Viva la Depardieu!

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 1:23pm
  Amen! Viva Gerard! France’s wealthy are leaving in droves. It used to be that the French who were ages 55 to 70 left for greener pastures. Now it is the 35 to 55 year old business owners who are getting soaked in taxes. Good for them. Why stay where you are punished for being successful in business? The French usually deal with about 1,000 requests per year for French people to leave the country. The number at the end of last year was 5,000. Soon France will have the completely bankrupt socialist country they long for. The people who are leaving say, “We do not want to be in a country who hates us.” Why would anyone put up with this? I wouldn’t and don’t! That is why my husband and I left the USA and live abroad. Jean Philippe Delsol quoted these young French entrepreneurs as saying, “Some are fed up with being looted by the government, but most of all they are tired of feeling hated and despised by public opinion and the state.” For more information on this situation see the article by Jean Philippe Delsol titled, ” France: Is Anybody There? France’s Socialists Generate a New Class of Tax Exiles” which is in the “world” section of The Blaze.
  
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RANGER1965
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:03am
The principles the Left espouses seems to ignore human nature. That we all feel compelled to take care of ourselves and our families first…then others. Forcing someone to give, or taking someone’s income to distribute it is not charitable. It’s just theft, and there is no blessing in it.

The wealthy will go where their wealth will not be stolen from them. Since it is they who create jobs, those wishing to work and EARN an income will follow them. These nations that hold to these Leftist principles will be broken, and their might will diminish to nothing. They, like many throughout history; will be thrown into the ash can of history with barely a whimper.

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- woodyee
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:19am
  It’s because Leftist/Liberal thought is a mental disease. They feel government is their primary and ultimate provider, yet they also feel they’re superior to those that are independent-minded.
  
  It’s plain CrAzY…
  
  Report this comment
Cavallo
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:54am
Wow, Russia has more freedom than France!

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- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:04am
  Russia has more Freedom than America – Thanks to Communist obama !
  
  Report this comment
- jamestoms
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 6:20pm
  Russia has more freedon than USA, our gov. officials are worms, thieves, liars, lazy self centered bas….
  
  Report this comment
Plan B
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:39am
A poster at zero hedge just asked “Why do I, an American, find myself admiring Putin and despising Obama?”

Sad, but true…..

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- AvengerK
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:50am
  I’ll transmit that to Vladimir…..
  
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SycamoreFan
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:27am
Hypocrite liberal Hollywood type. Spread the wealth sounds great as long as you are spreading the wealth of others. If they truly believed what they preach they would not have contracts so they make $millions on a film while the commoners make squat. Hey Michael Moore why don’t you take your check and split it evenly among all the hard working people who actually MAKE your films. You are standing on the backs of the little people and you are crushing them you big fat slob!

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woodyee
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:22am
Good for Mr. Depardieu! Contrary to the know-nothing progressive ‘Franch’ leader Jean-Marc ‘Zieg-Heil!’ Ayrault, it is unpatriotic to unquestioningly give in to government demands for more of MY earned income to GIVE to others.

“Drop dead la France!”

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- woodyee
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:42am
  We should have passed up on France in our attempt to wrest Europe from Hitler. What a MISTAKE!!!
  
  Report this comment
- woodyee
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:45am
  Heck – we should have taken their wine and brie, sold their women to the Germans and given France to the English at the end of WWII!
  
  Report this comment
Eastinfection
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:22am
You know Europe has hit the skids when it’s wealthy flee to Russia for more Liberty.

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- Walkabout
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:39am
  A person could look for foreign born spouses from any different countries. But if you marry one that is good looking (of course) & has the benefits of citizenship in an up & coming country with more freedom than where you come from, what can be better than that?
  
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- Remember_Benghazi
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:03am
  It’s not about liberty, it’s about privilege. Wealthy Russians are a protected class and are almost untouchable under the law. Their oligarchy is extremely powerful. This French guy just wanted to protect his wealth, while giving himself a nice bit of publicity.
  
  Report this comment
- AvengerK
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:11am
  EAST….it’s doesn’t end there. The Balkan states in Eastern europe are moving closer and closer to Russia who is seen as a benefactor and protector. Greece, Serbia, Romania..etc view Russia as a bullwark against a muslim takeover of Europe and instead see America as an enabler of the takeover. Thanks to the open border policy of the EU, neighboring muslims use Greece as a doorway into Europe. Albanians (who are muslim) flooded into Greece bringing a huge upsurge in drugs and violent crime. They then exported that to other parts of Europe and expanded their criminal activity to include human trafficking, prostitution etc.
  
  Eastern European states are mostly Christian Orthodox as is Russia and this solidarity also unifies them against western European Catholicism/Protestantism. Russia’s tough stance against Islam is also received favorably by the Balkan states. Economically…Russia supplies a lot of natural gas to Europe. For all of it’s domestic issues, Russia is still seen as a powerful and affluent state.
  
  There’s a reason why Putin allowed himself to be filmed greeting Depardieu, it’s classic old-school soviet propaganda. McCain summed up Putin beautifully…”when I see Putin I see three letters..K, G, B”. By the way..Russia has a flat tax rate of 13%. Given EU open border policy and conditions…what would you do..stay in France and pay 75% (which Hollande’s socialist government is rethinking now) or go to Russia and pay 13%?
  
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- Walkabout
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:48am
  Remember_Benghazi
  Oligarchy? Yes. But every country has one. We have had oligarchies ever since the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago judging form archaeological finds. I think the question is how much social mobility there is and whether you get paid for the value of your work.
  
  The latter question concerns me greatly. I realize things can oft be unfair. But in a fairly open system over time the the market can pay people what they are worth. In a closed system not so much. the Black death created an open system. The poor were able to leave their villages & find employment away from the ruling class (nobles). The poor were able to earn what they were worth instead of an undue amount going to the nobility. I dislike some of the bluebloods in America. They pay themselves more than a 100% of what they are worth for their labor & pay other less than 100%.. But the Democrat bluebloods are coming up with a worse system. They will tax everything to the hilt & give back enough for existence only, pennies on the dollar.
  
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- Walkabout
  Posted on January 7, 2013 at 12:03pm
  Anvenrk
  I can see countries with the Eastern Orthodox or Greek orthodox rite allying with Russia very easily.
  
  Russian has been interested in the Balkans for 400 or 500 years. Their support for Serbia was one of the causes of WW1.
  
  Report this comment
gyro
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:15am
substatute fat guy for obama in 4 years 3 months

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