Macron in hot water for scolding hecklers in Mayotte – DW – 12/21/2024
French President Emmanuel Macron, already struggling politically in the National Assembly, responds to hecklers during a visit to the cyclone-ravaged French overseas territory of Mayotte, an Indian Ocean archipelago off the southeast coast of Africa Facing criticism at home for swearing at the time.
The official death toll from Cyclone Chido, which struck on Saturday, now stands at 35, but observers fear many more may have died.
Macron’s visit to Mayotte was extended until Friday to give him a full appreciation of the situation and was designed to send a message of sympathy and support.
Angry residents welcomed Macron on Thursday evening and complained that the government was abandoning residents in France’s poorest overseas region.
When a resident shouted at Macron, “Seven days have passed and you can’t get water to people!” The President responded: “Don’t set people against each other. If you set people against each other, we will be ruined.”
“You are lucky to be in France,” Macron added, “If it were not for France you would be in an even deeper mess… 10,000 times deeper… There is no place in the Indian Ocean where people are more Get help.”
Fallout and defense – Macron blames the far right
Macron’s comments drew criticism domestically from all points of the political spectrum – with the far left calling them “completely disrespectful”, the Socialists calling them “unpresidential” and the Greens “arrogant”. The far-right National Rally (RN) said it was no surprise that people were dissatisfied when their president used such expressions.
On Friday, Macron hit back, saying those he was responding to were extremist RN supporters (whose numbers have increased in Mayotte as illegal immigration there has increased).
“I heard the story of the national rally and some people who insulted us yesterday, namely ‘France is doing nothing,'” Macron told local reporters in Mayotte.
Macron said he could understand the impatience of locals wanting quick help, but he called for unity, saying the French government was doing everything possible to ease the situation.
“The decision about the cyclone was not taken by the government,” Macron said, adding that France is doing a lot more. We need to be more efficient, but divisive, riotous speeches will not help.
js/msh (AFP, Reuters)