On the front page of February 24, the newspaper “La Marseillaise” reports comments from Emmanuel Macron.A short sentence about the beneficiaries of the minimum wage that the head of state would never have uttered, reacts the Élysée.
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Anger of French farmers: the return of actions
While the agricultural show opens this February 24 at the Porte de Versailles, in Paris, all the press is attentive to the arrival of Emmanuel Macron, who intervenes in the middle of a crisis with the agricultural unions. For its part, the newspaper The Marseillaise even decided to put on the front page, in this weekend’s edition, comments attributed to the President of the Republic: “Smicards prefer telephones and VOD subscriptions rather than a healthier diet.”
The Élysée strongly denied the veracity of this statement. “It’s scandalous”, denounces the entourage of the Head of State, ensuring that, if the question of food prices could have been raised with unions, Emmanuel Macron would not have expressed himself in this way. Visiting the Agricultural Show, the main party also reacted to the controversy at the microphone of TF1/LCI.
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“I’ve never had a formula like this”affirms the President of the Republic. “You can imagine the ethics of your colleagues, who will have managed to put on the front page of a sentence that someone said that I would have said… It’s the end of journalism if we do that! (… ) You have to stop the bullshit and making me say things behind the doors.”
A meeting at the Élysée on February 15
But where would this verbatim come from? From a meeting between the president and agricultural unions on February 15 at the Élysée, according to The Marseillaise who cites as a source “a trade unionist from the Agricultural Union Confederation of Family Farmers (Modef) present at the meeting”.
I confirm that we heard that
I confirm that we heard that
Raymond Girardi, vice-president of Modef
After the formal denial from the Élysée, Modef is indeed maintaining these remarks which he attributes to the head of state. “Yes, several of us were there and I can confirm that we heard that”said Raymond Girardi, vice-president of the agricultural union, The Marseillaise. For her part, Lucie Illy, vice-president of Modef and also present at the meeting, told our AFP colleagues that “the president did not express himself in these terms, but the substance is the same.”
This little sentence already appeared in a Modef press release, until then going unnoticed. “Our union demands family farming on a human scale made up of a million farmers! The President of the Republic clearly spoke out against this model. Worse, when we mentioned the difficulties of organic producers, he told us that ” “Smicards prefer telephones and VOD subscriptions rather than a healthier diet”we can read in this post from February 19.
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The latest information on the Agricultural Show
Now brought to light, these remarks attributed to the President of the Republic are causing a strong reaction from the unions and the opposition. “Permanent class contempt, hurtful and provocative communication, Emmanuel Macron, disturbing in his attitudes, worrying in his behavior, incompetent in his function, accentuates the political crisis”, accuses Marine Le Pen on “You will not be able to divide farmers and consumers! Farmer insecurity, food insecurity, the same fight! The problem is this liberal & unequal economic system which is crushing us all!”