The Head of State went to meet the victims in Mayotte after the passage of Cyclone Chido which devastated the archipelago. There, he was attacked by angry residents.
The president explains. After his comments went viral addressed to the victims in Mayotte, Emmanuel Macron responded, explaining that he “told the truth”, this Friday, December 20 to local media including the Mayotte La 1ère channel.
“I had people from the RN (National Rally Editor’s note) in front of me who insulted France. I told the truth,” maintains the head of state.
Emmanuel Macron persists: “You have chosen France so we must not divide ourselves. Because it is France, it is different from everywhere in the region, it is a reality”.
“I am among you as if I were in Lozère or Corrèze,” he said. “A few days after a tragedy, the president is there. But when we insult France, the president gets angry and says: 'look at how things are happening elsewhere and don't forget it'”, still maintains Emmanuel Macron, while A national mourning will be held on Monday December 23.
Macron “gets angry” at the victims
Traveling in the French archipelago in the Indian Ocean devastated by Cyclone Chido, killing at least 35 people according to a provisional report, the head of state lost his temper Thursday evening in the middle of an angry crowd, calling to his “resignation”.
“You are happy to be in France because if it wasn't France, you would be 10,000 times more in trouble. There is no place in the Indian Ocean where we help people so much.” he proclaimed.
“We cannot want to be a French department and say that it does not work when France is in solidarity. Everyone must respect each other. We will last until the end if we are a team,” he said. he still maintained, saying he was “pissed off”.
The footage quickly went viral and sparked strong criticism from the opposition. “Arrogant and lesson-giving attitude”, accused the environmentalist MP Sandrine Rousseau, when the vice-president of the National Rally Sébastien Chenu estimated “that through this kind of expression”, the Mahorais “always have the feeling of be treated separately.
“Humanitarian” and “fight against immigration”
The poorest department in France, Mayotte has more than 100,000 inhabitants, or a third of its population, living in precarious housing. Among them, many people living in an irregular situation from neighboring Comoros.
“What is human and just is to welcome people in asylum situations and return people who are not, otherwise we will not be able to rebuild Mayotte,” Emmanuel Macron declared this Friday on the migration issue.
“Priority to humanitarian aid to respond to the emergency, to security so that homes are not robbed, and intensification of work to fight against immigration,” he calls.
On Thursday, Emmanuel Macron had already declared that he wanted to “strengthen the fight against illegal immigration, at the same time as we obviously re-establish schools, rebuild homes, rebuild hospitals, etc.”
