From our special correspondent in Muttersholtz and Sélestat (Bas-Rhin)
On day 2 of the “100 days” of appeasement and unity announced in his speech on Monday evening, Emmanuel Macron arrived in Bas-Rhin noting that the situation is, on the contrary, rather tense and divided. This Wednesday’s program had everything to illustrate the construction site of “work” – also started on Monday evening – in a wooden construction factory of Muttersholtz, Mathis. The family business participates in particular in the construction of the aquatic center of Saint-Denis for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “These Games, which we are so proud to host, make the whole country work! “enthuses the president.
Enthusiastic, the demonstrators near the factory are less so: “No withdrawal, no Olympics”, can we read on signs not far from the entrance. In the morning, there were several dozen of them, trade unionists, “yellow vests” or not, who came with the now inevitable saucepans. There are others to boo him very loudly and shout “Macron resignation” in front of the town hall of Sélestat, a few hours and kilometers away. Not new, but impressive. “It’s called a welcoming committee”, relativizes the Elysée, for which this type of event was in any case written. “It is not a particularly peaceful region”, even assures a close friend of the Elysée, on the verge of describing a red Alsace to us in a constituency where the Nupes made 16% in the legislative elections.
Less brash throughout the day
There are indeed some supporters of the president, but Emmanuel Macron takes the tide during this short walkabout. “I am 34 years old, I am really worried. You are only asked for one thing: a sign of appeasement. And there, we do not see it, ”said a trade unionist sharply, adorned with the blue scarf of Unsa, known to be moderate and reformist. “We have never had such a corrupt government”, “It is not a democracy, Mr. Macron”. These are just small snippets of what the President receives.
Earlier in the afternoon therefore, his little word to the employees ended, the Head of State approached the journalists. Looks taken aback: “Is it with us that he makes the walkabout? “There is no” extended microphone “scheduled at this time, and this way of greeting the journalists present one by one is unusual to say the least: Emmanuel Macron clearly wants to talk. Asked about the demonstrators who are waiting for him and whom he hears as he enters the factory, the president unpins a formula of which he has the secret: “It is not the saucepans that will make France move forward. We can also massively relaunch the saucepan industry… We don’t produce enough! »
The pan industry
Earlier in the afternoon therefore, his little word to the employees ended, the Head of State approached the journalists. Looks taken aback: “Is it with us that he makes the walkabout? “There is no” extended microphone “with the president planned at this time, and this way of greeting the journalists one by one is unusual to say the least: Emmanuel Macron clearly wants to talk. Asked about the demonstrators who are waiting for him and whom he hears as he enters the factory, the president unpins a formula of which he has the secret: “It is not the saucepans that will make France move forward. We can also massively relaunch the saucepan industry… We don’t produce enough! »
Maybe the demonstrators want to talk to you? “No, I don’t think they’re trying to talk, they’re trying to make noise. If we are in a society where we only listen to people who make noise, we don’t get out of it! (…) You can convince people who listen to you, not people who don’t listen to you. “In this answer, “the noise” would almost echo “the crowd”, a word that Emmanuel Macron had used to describe the demonstrators against the pension reform in front of elected representatives of the majority at the Elysee Palace on March 21.
“I’ve seen much worse”
You should perhaps understand something more like: “I am on the side of the silent majority”, as when he says “the reality of the whole country is not only those who make noise with saucepans or who groan”. Emmanuel Macron therefore traces his route, the dispute being relegated to the status of incident: “I’ve seen much worse”, he said serenely to journalists, after the walkabout in Sélestat, no doubt in reference to “vests yellow”. Let it be said: the Head of State will continue to cross the country: he also has an appointment on Thursday in the Hérault on the subject of education, another project announced Monday evening on “the progress “.
“I will be in good weather and in rainy weather, announces the president before leaving Alsace. If there could be a few days of good weather, I wouldn’t mind. But if there must be a lot of rain and a lot of wind, I will do it anyway “Except that if the weather is like this in Sélestat, which voted Macron 60% a year ago, how will it be tomorrow Thursday in Ganges, who voted Le Pen 51%?