The mayor of Lille Martine Aubry castigated Thursday at the start of a demonstration in her city the "totally humiliating and pretentious vision" of President Emmanuel Macron, the day after a television interview where he defended his unpopular reform.
"(I have) the deep conviction that he humiliates us, that he does not listen to the French people, that he does not even listen to their representatives in Parliament", launched the former first secretary of the party socialist, who said she was "not surprised, but extremely shocked by this intervention".
She notably deemed "inadmissible" Mr. Macron's reference to the Washington Capitol, stormed by supporters of Donald Trump, in a response to the outbursts of recent days during demonstrations.
"Talking about rebels is unacceptable from a President of the Republic," insisted Ms. Aubry.
The Lille procession set off around 3:00 p.m. "You put us 64, we may 68", "Macron, do you feel safe? We censor you", we could read among the signs.
"We had 49.3, and now this kind of above-ground monologue from the President of the Republic," said a protester, Jean-Luc Meunet, 60, lecturer in Valenciennes. "They have to stop now, otherwise it will degenerate."
"It's Mr. Know-it-all, Mr. I'm right, we're nothing to him," rages Fadela Vandekerkhove, a forty-year-old nurse trainer. "He thinks the demonstrations will stop? We will continue until the end, there is no resignation here!"
Demonstrations have been organized every evening in Lille in recent days. They gave rise Tuesday evening to scuffles between the police and some 250 people, who notably burned a few garbage cans and briefly disrupted the Series Mania festival.
23/03/2023 16:14:32 -- Lille (AFP) © 2023 AFP
