France’s right-wing nationalist party leader Mocking Macron’s popularity rate
Florian Philippot, France’s right-wing nationalist party leader, launched a scathing attack on President Emmanuel Macron, calling him the most hated president in the world, following a sharp drop-in popular support for him.
Philippot’s attack was launched through a post on X, where he sarcastically wrote: “You don’t have the right… Shut up!”
“When you have 11% approval rating and you are the most hated head of state in the world, you shouldn’t take any further initiatives! You don’t have the right to do that!” he added:
“As long as you have no intention of resigning, wait until the end of your term and, most importantly, remain completely silent… You lack legitimacy, leave the players alone, leave video games alone, and shut up!”
Philippot’s attack came in response to a new initiative launched by Macron, in which he called on a group of experts to study the health and psychological impact of video games on children and adolescents.
The study, which will be conducted by the National Council for Digital Artificial Intelligence over a period of two months, aims to assess the potential negative effects in preparation for taking action that may even lead to a ban on some games.
The move comes in the broader context of proposed legislation to protect minors in the digital space, as the French parliament is currently considering a bill banning the use of social media by teenagers under the age of 15, a bill that has received preliminary approval from the National Assembly.
Macron expressed his desire for the measure related to video games and communication to be implemented at the beginning of the next school year in September 2024.
Sharp popular decline: Macron at its lowest level This political offensive comes at a time when Macron’s popularity is declining.
Opinion polls in December showed that French confidence in their president’s ability to adopt effective policies to serve the country’s interests fell to just 25%, the lowest since he took office in 2017.
Observers believe that Philippot’s attack, comes intensively in a reflection of a state of political polarization and escalating popular grievances that Macron is facing in his second term, especially as he adopts controversial policies and measures among the various political and social segments in France.
This verbal escalation puts the French president on the defensive as France prepares for a wave of heated debates about digital entertainment freedom and child protection in the age of technology.
