French left-wing lawmakers slam president’s alleged racist remarks in 2023

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) — Left-wing lawmakers in France have been criticizing the country's President Emmanuel Macron over alleged racist remarks in 2023.

Macron's remarks amount to "an insult to the Republic," Manuel Bompard, national coordinator of the left-wing party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise or LFI) party, said on X Thursday, sharing an extract of a report by the daily Le Monde.

According to Le Monde, in 2023, Macron was having a conversation with then-Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau on issues related to public hospitals.

“The problem in the emergency care in this country is that it is filled with Mamadous,” Macron allegedly said, referring to people of color.

Bompard slammed Macron, saying: “Those racist remarks from the president, reported by the daily Le Monde, are an insult to the Republic. This is an absolute shame.”

Another member of LFI, lawmaker David Guiraud also lashed out on X. “Those remarks, if confirmed, are of absolute disgrace and only strengthen the legitimacy of the calls for the president’s resignation,” he said.

The daily Le Figaro also cited similar remarks by Macron, dating back to 2019, in which he targeted French people of West African origin.

The French presidency denied the alleged remarks, according to Le Figaro.