Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Macron tries to escape French pension row with street song

Macron tries to escape French pension row with street song

Even a traditional sing-song with a group of young Parisians is fraught with risk for a president attempting to persuade France to accept an unpopular increase in the pension age.
Emmanuel Macron had given a TV address on Tuesday regretting "no consensus could be found" on the reform when he went for a walk with his wife Brigitte.

He joined some men singing a song he remembered from his grandmother.

But it was shared by a Facebook group reportedly set up by the far right.

The young singers were part of a Parisian choir singing traditional songs on a street in the sixth district in Paris,

One of them approached President Macron asking him to join in a rendition of an old song from the Pyrenees called "Le Refuge", which he sang on a trip to the French mountain range last year.

The men, who were part of the local Saint Longin choir, were apparently using a mobile phone app to read the words of the song created by the Canto project.

Last October, left-leaning newspaper Libération revealed that the project, set up to promote the memory of traditional songs, had been founded and run by far-right activists.

Songs included French classics and nursery rhymes, but also others with a more questionable past including songs linked to the Spanish fascist Falange of the 1930s and Nazi Germany.

President Macron and his team are keenly aware of how viral videos can distract from the business of the day, especially when it comes to pension reforms.

His entourage told France Inter radio that after his TV address he was having some time to himself with his wife when they were approached by the singers.

"He then joined them for a Pyrenean song that he knows and is fond of. He couldn't have known at that moment the background of each of the people he was talking to," an official from the Élysée Palace was quoted as saying.

Last month another viral video showed how his relatively expensive watch magically disappeared in the middle of a TV interview.

It was a non-story as there was no evidence to back up claims that he was embarrassed by its opulence. The more obvious explanation was that it was banging the table. No matter, it was the tale that counted.

Likewise with the choir of Saint Longin.

The "narrative" has set in that the president was caught lending moral support for the far right, or was out carousing when the country was in crisis over pensions.

But the only link with the far right is that the founder of the app he was reading from was close to the National Rally opposition party.

The app's aim is to encourage communal singing. As well as being part-funded by the culture ministry, it includes plenty of revolutionary songs dear to the far left on its site, like "Ah ça ira", which features the friendly line "Aristocrats to the gallows!".

The choir are evidently from the Catholic right, but one of the singers, Géraud, told public radio station France Inter that their only link to the Canto project was that it had a repertoire of music they were interested in.

And, as the Élysée said, the president can hardly control who he and Brigitte Macron bump into on their night wanderings.

The story has legs because there is a video attached, and because the president is not in good odour at the moment.

That only makes it worse as he starts the Sisyphean task of building back his reputation.

He has now signed into law deeply unpopular reforms that raise the pension age from 62 to 64 and given Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne the job of leading 100 days of action, with a roadmap of major projects "at the service of France".

His impromptu sing-song on the streets of Paris may have been his first appearance in public since the reforms were forced through. But his second, on Wednesday, was due to be in daylight in the Alsace town of Muttersholtz, where he planned to relaunch his second term in office.

Security was tight as union leaders were planning a raucous welcome for the president, with protesters continuing to challenge his pension reforms.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×