President Emmanuel Macron was roundly booed as he took to the pitch of France’s national stadium for the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup on Friday.
In one of his most visible public appearances since his country was thrown into chaos over his controversial pension reforms and racially-inspired riots over a police shooting of an Algerian heritage teenager, President Macron did not receive a warm welcome from the French people at the Stade de Frace at the Rugby World Cup.
While the opening ceremony saw a myriad of French celebrities embraced by the crowd, this was not the case for the embattled globalist leader, whose appearance at the match sparked a wave of boos from the stands.
Appearing before a mock Eiffel Tower, Macron — who once promised to govern the French Republic like the Roman god Jupiter — appeared to be surprised by the backlash from the public.
Although Mr Macron secured reelection last year, his popularity among the French people has cratered since then, with the country suffering under a cost of living crisis as a result of the Chinese coronavirus lockdowns and the war in Ukraine.
In what was seen as a slap in the face to the working class during a period of hardship, Macron’s government controversially pushed through a raise to the pension age in the National Assembly without a vote to supposedly sure up public finances. This sparked months of protests, strikes and riots throughout the country.
While Macron had begged the public to give him 100 days to turn the country around, “100 days of anger” was promised in return. Although the protests over the pension reform faded, they were soon replaced by race riots following the killing of an Algerian heritage teenager in a Paris suburb.
In response to the deep anger against his government, Macron has opted to minimise opportunities for the public to interact with him. For example, during the annual ceremony for Victory in Europe Day to mark the official end of World War II in May, Macron was forced to drive down a nearly empty Champs-Elysées with the public being barred from the famed avenue for fear of protests against the president.