Emmanuel Macron smiles at the camera, wearing a white shirt and black tie. Right next to him stands a young man in a tank top and a gold chain. On his left is a man with a shirtless body and deep trousers - he holds his outstretched middle finger in the camera.
The French president had traveled to the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, where a year ago the devastating hurricane "Irma" had raged. Macron met with camera crews and talked to them about their lives and cleanup. This resulted in said Mittelfingerfoto. It is making headlines in France.
"We are speechless with indignation," wrote the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen on Twitter. It was "unforgivable". "France certainly did not deserve that."
On ne trouve même plus de mots pour expresser notre indignation.
La France ne mérite certainement pas cela. C'est impardonnable! MLP pic.twitter.com/Lvf2k8cO8S
Macron, on the other hand, immediately tried to defuse the polemic. He also defended himself against the accusation of exploiting the fate of the islanders for self-PR and said that he wanted to help the youth. He loves "every child in the Republic, no matter what stupidities it commits," said Macron. He warned of a "discourse of hate" with regard to Le Pen's statements.
After visiting Saint-Martin Macron traveled on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Barthélemy. She, too, had been struck by the severe hurricane.