Brigitte Macron's push has reverberated around the world. Why was it met with a shrug in France?
The French president's plane had just landed in Hanoi. Its door is open and Emmanuel Macron can be seen standing, looking at his wife, Brigitte, who is still inside. Two hands – hers – push his face. Macron seems to bring his arms up in defence, and steps back. Dumbstruck, the president turns and sees the cameras on the tarmac. He's being filmed. In a split second, his shock morphs into a smile. He waves, charmingly, at the journalists: he's back in control. As Macron and his wife walk down the plane's stairs, he offers her his arm. She doesn't take it.
The strange moment was caught by Associated Press cameras, and immediately went viral, being shared around the world. Questioned by the French press, which woke up to the images on Monday morning, the Élysée Palace originally claimed that the video was a deepfake, then admitted the scene was real but was simply a 'moment of closeness' shared by the presidential couple. They were 'decompressing one last time before the start of the visit, larking around', a source close to the president briefed the French press. 'But that was enough to feed the conspiracy theorists.'
Macron doubled down later during the day, explaining that he and Brigitte were 'bickering, or rather joking', and that he had been 'taken by surprise' by the cameras: 'The video becomes a sort of geoplanetary catastrophe. In the world we live in, we don't have a lot of time to lose. This is all a bit of nonsense.' French TV commentators were left wondering why the Élysée would deny that the whole scene happened: 'It becomes newsworthy because the Élysée lied about it,' a BFMTV journalist noted. Yet the French media immediately accepted Macron's 'squabble' explanation and moved on, the story no longer leading news websites and broadcasts.
French political journalists have long applied the 'bedroom rule' to their coverage: what happens in the bedroom, or in romantic relationships more generally, is private and therefore not newsworthy. This has begun to change since the #MeToo movement, thanks to a younger generation of journalists keen to highlight that the private can be political, too, but the attitude remains prevalent in France – even more so if the person in question is the president.
There were political reasons, too, to deflect attention from the video – the president is being frequently targeted by online conspiracy theories, and pro-Russia news sources have been leading on the video. Macron said: 'For three weeks, people have looked at videos of me and think that I have shared a bag of cocaine with Keir Starmer, that I have fought with the Turkish president, and, now, that I am having a domestic dispute with my wife. None of that is true, yet these videos are real. Everyone should calm down.' The Élysée Palace's denial in response to the 'cocaine bag' story was funny and straight to the point: the palace's X account simply tweeted a photo of the 'cocaine bag', which was really just a tissue, and commented: 'That's a tissue. To blow your nose.'
The incident also reignited speculation around the circumstances of Brigitte and Emmanuel's relationship. Some people on social media were quick to point out that he was 15 and Brigitte was his 39-year-old theatre teacher when they met. Macron has brushed it off several times over the years, speaking about the inevitability of their love, and a certain amount of PR was fed to the press back in 2017, when he was first elected. The media then spoke of their '20-year age difference' and of him being a 'year 12 student' when they met. It is, in fact, a 25-year age gap, and he was in year 10, not 12. Watching the video, it was hard not to wonder what the response would have been if the roles were reversed: what if an older man were to be filmed pushing his younger wife in the face? Would that be met with a shrug that it's no big deal? The power and gender dynamics are different in each case – he is the president, after all – but all forms of partner-on-partner violence deserve attention.
There is no way to know what transpired between them at that moment, but optics do matter, especially in the leader of a country. To imply that it is normal for a 'squabble' to become physical, even if in this case there was an innocent explanation, is unhelpful at best.
That Macron doesn't see the potential problem in the video points to a narrow, obsolete understanding of couple dynamics and domestic violence. He has twice proclaimed gender equality to be the 'great cause' of his presidential mandates before refusing to properly fund it; he has spoken in support of the French actor Gérard Depardieu, who has recently been found guilty of sexual assault and is soon to be on trial again for rape; and to this day, the former interior minister and current justice minister, Gérald Darmanin, who was accused of sexual assault (the case has now been dismissed), has remained in Macron's cabinet.
It would have been easy enough to turn this moment into a public health message. He could have simply said that he's alright, thanks for your consideration, but that men who do experience violence should feel no shame in seeking help, using it as an opportunity to discuss domestic violence prevention. Instead, he mocked the 'fools' who thought anything could be amiss.
Pauline Bock is a French journalist based in Paris
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Haunting 1,000-year-old mummy found ‘seated with bent arms' and brown hair still visible just INCHES below ground
GAS workers have discovered a 1,000-year-old mummy just a metre below the surface of the Earth during a routine pipe installation in Peru. The remains, believed to be a boy aged between 10 and 15-years-old, have been uncovered in surprisingly good condition, with some of his brown hair still intact. 6 6 6 The burial was formal, with the trunk of a native huarango tree found next to the bound remains serving "as a tomb marker in the past," according to archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde, a scientific coordinator of Calidda gas company. The ancient boy's remains were discovered "in a sitting position, with the arms and legs bent," according to Bahamonde. "The burial and the objects correspond to a style that developed between 1000 and 1200 [AD]," he added. The body was found just 1.2metres beneath the Earth in Lima, Peru's capital, while the wooden tomb marker was found just a depth of 50cm (20 inches). They were wrapped in a shroud, which contained calabash gourds - a vegetable that was not only eaten but etched with intricate art in ancient Peru. Calabash gourds are used for medicinal purposes in Peru, and throughout Bolivia and Ecuador today. Though it's unclear what the significance of the vegetable was at the time. Ceramic objects, including plates, bottles and jugs decorated with geometric figures and figures of fishermen, were also found next to the mummy. The mummy, found last week, belonged to a society of fishermen of the Chancay culture, which flourished between 1,000 and 1,470 AD, according to Jesús Bahamonde, director of the archaeological monitoring plan of metropolitan Lima at Cálidda. Despite not being covered by much ground, the mummy had gone unnoticed for a millennia - even with all of the urban development in the area. Lima, a city home to 10million people, housed human civilisations for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in Peru in 1535. As a result, there are more than 500 archaeological sites sprawled across the coastal city, including dozens of ancient cemeteries. In Peru, utility companies must hire archaeologists when drilling because of the possibility of stumbling upon ancient treasures and heritage sites. "It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals," Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, told the Associated Press. The desert heat dehydrates the bodies, naturally mummifying the bodies and leaving them fairly well preserved, according to Van Dalen, who was not involved in the discovery. 6 6 6
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Giant statues of saints to crown latest step in £600m restoration of Notre Dame
Sixteen giant statues are to be hoisted back on to the spire of Notre Dame in the latest step of the cathedral's £600m reconstruction after the devastating fire of 2019. The copper-coated figures, each weighing almost 150kg, escaped the blaze because they were removed from the Parisian landmark for renovation just four days before flames consumed the roof and destroyed the spire. On Monday evening, after a blessing from the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the statue of St Thomas will be returned to the reconstructed spire. The depictions of the 11 other apostles and four evangelists will be put back 'in stages' according to the Notre Dame team. The statues were designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc for his 19th-century overhaul of Notre Dame and made by the sculptor, Adophe Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume. Installed in 1861, the apostles are 3.4 metres (11ft) tall and arranged in four groups around the 96-metre (315ft) spire, which was added by Viollet-le-Duc in 1858. In front of each group is a statue of an evangelist: a bull for Saint Luke, a lion for Saint Mark, an eagle for Saint John and an angel for Saint Matthew. All the statues look out over Paris except for that of Saint Thomas, the patron saint of architects who looks toward the spire and is said to be modelled on Viollet-le-Duc. The statues have undergone a complete renewal, with damaged parts replaced and corrosion removed, returning them to their original dark brown colour. They have also been Teflon-proofed against damage from the elements. During the renovation, workers discovered bullet holes on the statue of Saint Mark thought to date back to the second world war. The statues will stand in their original places below the spire's new golden rooster, a symbol of hope and faith and an emblem of France. Installed last December, it houses cathedral relics and a sealed tube holding a list of almost 2,000 people who have worked on the cathedral's reconstruction since the fire on 15 April 2019. The spire's original rooster survived the fire and was discovered battered but intact among the debris. It is on display at Paris's architecture and heritage museum but will be moved to a new museum dedicated to Notre Dame. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The cathedral was officially reopened last December by Emmanuel Macron in a ceremony attended by world leaders, including the French president's counterparts, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘We are waking from a long sleep': France's ex-PM Gabriel Attal on revitalising relations with the UK
In the conference room of a hotel in Kensington, the man who would be France's next head of state is sharing his views about Brexit. Microphone in hand, Gabriel Attal is here to meet activists and expatriates. Once 270,000 strong, London's French community has dwindled in recent years. The 36-year-old leader of Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party is doing his best to gee them up. 'We are waking at the moment from a long sleep when we talk about relations between France and the UK,' he says. In the face of war in Ukraine and turmoil in the US, old alliances are reforming. 'Many thought the channel would become an ocean. And that all the ties that bound us had to be cut. But we are emerging from this sleep because in some measure we are forced to.' In two years, when the term of his mentor, Macron, comes to an end, Attal is positioning himself to lead their centrist party into battle against Marine Le Pen's populists. If he succeeds, he would take not only Macron's crown but also his record as France's youngest-ever president. For now, he is launching himself on the international stage, with visits to Ukraine, Israel and later this year to Africa. In London last week, he was accompanied by his bodyguards and a team of smartly dressed young men, staffers and parliamentarians, graduates like him of France's elite Sciences Po university. During his visit he called on the former UK prime minister Tony Blair and laid a wreath at the statue of the French wartime leader Charles de Gaulle. On Wednesday evening in Kensington, in the heart of London's French quarter, he addressed his audience with the confidence and lyrical flow that have earned him the nickname of 'le snipeur des mots' – the word sniper. 'Liberty was given by the proponents of Brexit as a reason why they had to leave the European Union. But being free is not being able to choose the colour of your passport. It is about being able to choose the face of your destiny.' Attal's rise through the ranks has been a succession of firsts. At 29, he became the country's youngest postwar minister after being put in charge of education. At 34, in January 2024, he became prime minister, another record. He was cheered in the national assembly when he spoke of his pride at being the first out gay man to hold the office. It was a short-lived success – Attal's term came to a premature end last September after Macron called a snap election in a bungled attempt to see off the hard right. Dusted off and back in the saddle, he has not officially declared his candidacy for the presidential race in 2027, but he is fairly open about his intentions. Asked whether he would stand during an interview with the Guardian, Attal replied: 'J'y travaille.' (I'm working on it). The interview was supposed to be in person but London traffic intervened, and Attal, after a polite apology, spoke by phone from a car as he raced to catch the Eurostar train back home. His focus for now, he said, was on policy and party renewal. Renaissance has been churning out papers, with proposals to curb immigration and tackle teenage screen addiction. The party wants a social media ban for under-15s, and an internet curfew between 10pm and 8am for those under 18. Videos would switch to black and white after half an hour's viewing. 'I'm working with my party, Renaissance. I want us to have a project and a candidate. Many candidates for the presidency today don't have a project.' Gabriel Attal de Couriss followed a well-worn path through elite schools into the ranks of the political class. The son of Yves Attal, a lawyer and film producer, and Marie de Couriss, a film production worker from a family of traders who settled in Russia then Ukraine following the Bolshevik Revolution. He thrived despite the disruptions of divorce and his father's early death from cancer. After attending the exclusive École alsacienne private school, he studied public affairs at Sciences Po, the Paris university whose graduates include Macron and and a long list of presidents and prime ministers before him. His social politics are a mix of liberal and authoritarian. He voted to make access to abortion a constitutional right, but has legislated to curb the wearing of clothes associated with Islam. As education minister he banned the abaya for girls and the qamis for boys in schools. Last month, Attal proposed to go a step further, by outlawing headscarves in public for girls under 15. The reaction was swift and negative, with accusations he was just looking to grab headlines, and members of his own party distanced themselves. The Renaissance education minister expressed 'the most serious doubts' about asking police to question or even caution children in the street. Attal rejects the notion that designating the clothing worn by children as the latest culture-war battleground puts them at risk. 'I think that what puts a little girl in danger is to impose on her an outfit that consists in inculcating to her the idea that she is inferior to man and that it is impure for her to discover her face.' On immigration, he wants closer cooperation with the UK. He says Macron's state visit to Britain next month, during which the president will stay at Windsor Castle, will be an opportunity for bilateral talks. 'I think there are several subjects which are absolutely major on which we must move forward,' he said. He listed defence – 'the United Kingdom is part of the European continent and with France is one of the two countries that has a complete army' – the economy, energy and immigration. On the vexed question of access for UK arms firms to a new €150bn EU armaments fund, he was diplomatic. 'When it comes to EU financial instruments, they come first to support the European defence industry, and it will depend on financial participation, but I know this is being negotiated right now. I hope we can find a way to deepen the military cooperation with the UK.' He said the next big step would be discussion on how the UK can align with a new pact for asylum and immigration that will enter into force across the EU next summer. The agreement allows faster processing and triage of migrants at designated entry hubs. Importantly, each member state will take an agreed share of new arrivals, or pay countries of reception €20,000 to keep them. 'It is very important that we can identify the way in which this pact will be implemented in connection with the United Kingdom,' said Attal. 'I remind you that there is an estimate of 30% of immigrants who come to the European continent who do so to go to the United Kingdom.' For Ukraine, Attal wants an accelerated path to membership of the European Union. Hungary is threatening to use its veto, and farmers are worried about the continent's largest food-producing nation flooding the tariff-free single market with cheap agricultural produce. The pushback has delayed the accession talks, which were due to begin this month. In March, Attal hosted a summit in Paris with allies from the European parliament, and members of opposition parties in Hungary and Slovakia. They agreed to campaign for Ukrainian lawmakers to attend the parliament as observers, starting no later than 2026. Other measures included seizing the €200bn of Russian assets frozen in Europe to finance Ukrainian resistance and increasing defence budgets to 3% of domestic product. 'We have a situation that is obviously unprecedented, with a country attacked, at war, which wants to join the European Union. And therefore the procedure itself must be adapted.' Is he in favour of the parallel negotiation solution, which would allow progress without needing Hungary's approval, being suggested by some officials in Brussels? It seems so. 'I think all channels must be used,' Attal said. He spoke with the confidence of a man adept at finding his way around obstacles. The interview came to an end as his car approached St Pancras station. A call to the French embassy, and Attal and his bodyguards were whisked through security, making the 11.30am back to Paris with minutes to spare.
