French President Emmanuel Macron has been slammed from different quarters after pictures showed him posing with two bare-chested men. One of the men can be seen in one of the pictures flipping the middle finger.
The second bandanna-wearing man reportedly told Macron that he was a “robber” and was recently released from prison.
The pictures were taken during his recent trip to Saint Martin. Macron was there to inspect the reconstruction work after the Caribbean island was devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria last year.
The French president took some time off to spent quality time with the locals affected by the tragedy.
Below are some Twitter reactions to the image of the trio which has now gone viral.
TWEET: “There is almost nothing left. Only shreds of dignity that are lost in the night of vulgarity. The president’s suit has become far too big.”
TWEET: “What amazes me in this picture is that Macron didn’t demand that these two young men be properly dressed. He is the President of the Republic and must be received with some respect… Everything is debased.”
TWEET: “We’ve touched rock bottom. I can’t bear seeing the presidential post be debased with so much flippancy. I am now convinced of the moral incapacity of the head of state to fulfill his duties. Emmanuel #Macron must draw all the consequences.”
The leader of the right-wing party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, was also among those who expressed indignation via Twitter:
“Words cannot express our indignation. France certainly does not deserve that. It is unforgivable!” she tweeted.
Responding to the backlash, Macron defended himself saying that he “loved every child of the Republic, no matter how foolish they are.”
