Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Macron outing marred by tomato-throwing
PARIS — Three days after celebrating a decisive reelection in a carefully choreographed victory speech at the Eiffel Tower, President Emmanuel Macron returned Wednesday to the rougher reality of a divided France: being pelted with voters’ questions — and tomatoes.
As he mingled with crowds at a market square in the diverse Parisian suburb of Cergy, the French leader had to suddenly take cover under an umbrella after bystanders were hit by cherry tomatoes. The projectiles were probably thrown by a vendor, according to France’s public broadcaster.
Macron did not appear to have been hit, and it was unclear what prompted the tomato-throwing.
Bystanders screamed, and the president’s entourage escorted him away. The BFM television channel, which broadcast the incident, reported that Macron resumed his outing — the first public one since Sunday — in a covered section of the square.
If political motives prompted the tomato-throwing, it wouldn’t be the first time Macron has faced the ire of his detractors in such a way. Last year, a man slapped Macron’s face, shouting “Down with Macronism,” before the security detail rushed in. Macron has had eggs thrown at him several times.
Such incidents have sometimes resulted in convictions, while also fueling concerns about presidential security and a radicalization of the political discourse.
It was not clear Wednesday whether authorities would take legal action against the person who hurled the tomatoes.
In the lead- up to his reelection, Macron had faced criticism that he was aloof and disconnected from the people. That criticism appeared to have prompted a shift in his campaigning after the first round of voting more than two weeks ago — with Macron seemingly more approachable as he toured the country and interacted with voters in the days ahead of the runoff vote.
Before he narrowly escaped the cherry tomatoes on Wednesday, he told the crowd that his encounters with voters hadn’t just been a reelection strategy. “I will continue to go in the field … to meet the French,” said Macron, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in five years.
His reception in Cergy on Wednesday in some ways also appeared to encapsulate the challenges he faces, as he seeks to unite the country and secure his mandate in parliamentary elections in June.
Both far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who was his challenger in the Sunday runoff, and far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, who contested in the presidential election, view the June vote as an opportunity to gain a parliamentary majority and disrupt Macron’s agenda.
Almost half of all voters in Cergy cast their ballots for Melenchon in the first round of voting, on April 10. Macron was far behind, at 24 percent. But in the runoff between Le Pen and Macron, the incumbent won the suburb easily with more than 76 percent of the vote.