Story by Peter Allen
Emmanuel Macron has been accused of megalomania for showing off on a jetski while wildfires continue to ravage France.
The 48-year-old French president was criticised by opposition politicians on Friday after photos from his holiday appeared on the front page of the celebrity magazine Paris Match.
France is experiencing some of the worst forest fires in its history amid near-constant heatwaves.
Pierre Ouzoulias, the communist senator, told Europe 1 that Mr Macron’s behaviour was “indecent”, adding: “Personally, I would have preferred to see him in a fire truck, helping firefighters put out the blaze. That is where he belonged.”
Alexis Corbière, of the Leftist L’Après party, mocked the president’s muscles, his sunglasses and the “very polluting watercraft” being used at Fort de Brégançon, the presidential retreat on the Riviera.
Mr Corbière said: “This stage-managed image speaks volumes about the absolute megalomania of his character, and his complete lack of understanding of the ecological, social and democratic crisis.”
Mr Macron’s muscles and sunglasses were mocked by Left-winger Alexis Corbière – Backgrid UK
The photos were published on the day a judge blocked Mr Macron’s push to ban under-15s from social media. The legal ruling said the ban could limit free speech.
It said: “By prohibiting minors under the age of 15 from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even an adult, to prove their age before accessing them.
“By failing to specify the conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements.”
In response, Mr Macron ordered Sebastien Lecornu, his prime minister, to revise the draft legislation.
An Élysée Palace aide said Mr Macron was determined to push the legislation through before May 2027, when he will be forced to stand down after completing the maximum two terms in office.
Paris Match acknowledged that time was running out for the president, placing the cover jet-ski picture under the headline “Emmanuel Macron: last summer in command”.
Mr Macron showed off his balancing skills on a hover foil – Backgrid UK
There were also images of Mr Macron on a hover foil, and laughing as he skippered a powerboat full of his security guards.
Another photo showed Brigitte Macron, 73, Mr Macron’s wife, in shorts, T-shirt, baseball cap and sunglasses.
The magazine reported that the entire presidential party was in “holiday camp” mood, less than nine months before the Macron era ends for good.
Paris Match is owned by luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France, and there was widespread speculation that the outlet had permission to take the pictures.
Mr Macron, a former partner at Rothschild & Cie merchant bank, has been nicknamed the “President of the Rich”, and “Jupiter”, after the Roman god of gods.
He is frequently criticized for being arrogant and out of touch with ordinary French people, especially during national emergencies such as the wildfires disaster, which is estimated to have cost up to £14bn.
Firefighters battle a wildfires in the Landes forest in Luglon, south-western France – Romain Perrocheau /AFP via Getty Images
The European Forest Fire Information System has calculated that wildfires have destroyed up to 95,000 hectares of land, compared with an annual average of 14,750 in the past two decades.
A fire close to Bordeaux, in the south-west of France, destroyed more than 200 homes in July and forced the evacuation of 220,000 people, including British expats, holidaymakers and second home owners.
Sources close to President Macron said he had delayed his August holiday until this major fire was out, and insisted he had been mixing his break with work, including calls to other world leaders.
