As record temperatures continued to affect France this summer, more than 117,000 hectares were destroyed by wildfires. With extreme heat and fires continuing across the country, a holiday photo of French President Macron became the focus of a political debate.
The photo appeared on the magazine’s cover
A photo of Macron riding a jet ski during his holiday in the Var department, where Fort de Brégançon is located, appeared on the cover of this week’s issue of Paris Match. The photo shows Macron wearing sunglasses while sitting on a jet ski.
Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, assessed the photo alongside the hot weather, the fires and the fact that some French people were unable to go on holiday. Faure said Macron’s decision to enjoy himself on a jet ski at Brégançon while the country was experiencing extreme heat should be questioned in terms of the message it sent to the public.
Opposition criticizes environmental and social crisis policies
French lawmaker Alexis Corbière said the magazine cover focused on Macron’s physical appearance and his image on the jet ski. Corbière argued that jet skis contribute to environmental pollution.
Corbière also argued that staging such a scene for the French president showed Macron’s megalomania and his failure to understand the ecological, social and democratic crisis in the country.
Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, said France was facing extreme heat, drought, historic wildfires, as well as climate and housing crises. Tondelier said unemployment and poverty were rising and that the country was carrying a heavy debt burden.
Tondelier criticized the decision to bring Macron’s holiday into the spotlight through an interview in Paris Match under these circumstances. She said that extreme heat and wildfires continued in France after Macron went on holiday.
