“Totally outdated”, “artisan of chaos”: from LFI to the RN, the political class crushes Emmanuel Macron’s speech, deemed not up to the crisis

Emmanuel Macron's speech was eagerly awaited by high school students, workers and other demonstrators who have marched in the streets of Paris in recent weeks against the high cost of living and the lack of resources in National Education. The president's speech lasting around ten minutes, delivered on television on Sunday October 18, did not live up to the events, deplores the entire French political class in unison.

The head of state strongly condemned “unbridled violence” and demanded that “all lessons” be learned to prevent such excesses from happening again. On the other hand, the leader has not announced any measure to respond to the demands: no release of funds to calm the anger of young people, no announcement on the price of fuel either.

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“Let him go quickly”

This lack of concrete response to the social movement exasperates the French left. It’s “absolutely irresponsible,” criticized Manuel Bompard, the coordinator of LFI. However, “the demands remain this evening”, lamented the deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône on LCI, judging that “on all aspects of the problem”, the head of state “announces absolutely nothing”. “When we have nothing to say, we keep quiet,” simply reacted LFI MEP Manon Aubry. Her colleague Mathilde Panot, patron of LFI deputies in the Assembly, goes further. She describes Emmanuel Macron as an “artisan of chaos (who) directly adds fuel to the fire”. She criticizes that the only announcement is “the possible ban on demonstrations”. The president has, in fact, authorized the prefects, to “protect our cities”, to “ban” certain gatherings. “Let him go quickly!” she cried.

Call to “amplify” mobilization

Further to the left still, the communist candidate Fabien Roussel also regretted the absence of announcements. He therefore called for “continuing” the mobilization, “calmly and with determination”. Same thing for the Lutte Ouvrière presidential candidate, Nathalie Arthaud, who invited the demonstrators to “increase the mobilization against the high cost of living, for the future of youth!” On X, she clarified that she “expected nothing” from the president, but that she was “still angry”.

The boss of the Ecologists, Marine Tondelier, also declared that she was “angry” this evening. The presidential candidate would have preferred that the head of state make his “mea culpa” rather than summon the trade union and political organizations “to Matignon like children to the blackboard at school”. “If we go to Matignon, it will be to work on solutions to the social, environmental and democratic crises. Not for a disciplinary council,” she warned. Natacha Polony, also a presidential candidate, explained on X that the repetition of the word “responsibility” in the allocation reveals the president’s desire to “better explain to us that he is not responsible for anything”.

“Our country needs to be ordered”

On the right, we are instead calling for a firm response to the violence. Édouard Philippe affirmed on “Our country needs to be commanded,” tackled the former prime minister, even if he recognized “a laudable desire to reestablish dialogue.” Bruno Retailleau, LR candidate, described the president’s speech as “worrying”. “The President of the Republic appears totally overwhelmed, incapable of opposing the force of the State to the scum which threatens the Republic,” he analyzed on

Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, also felt that those in power had lost control of the situation. “This cowardly and disoriented power has nothing more to say to the French, nothing more to offer them. He doesn’t even have the strength to protect them anymore,” he wrote on X.

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