Emmanuel Macron moved to Rouen Wednesday evening to meet the locals. For an hour and a half, the president wanted reassurance and listening. But this surprise visit was also punctuated by some "Macron dégage".

REPORTAGE

It was a surprise visit. More than a month after the fire at the Seveso plant in Lubrizol, Emmanuel Macron went to Rouen Wednesday evening to meet the mayor of Rouen Yvon Robert, but also to meet the inhabitants.

"We were freaked out"

For an hour and a half, the president wandered through the streets of the city to listen, and try to reassure residents who are sometimes on the verge of tears: "Mr. President, we were very scared in Rouen, we freaked out in Toulouse! ", looses this resident in reference to the explosion of the plant AZF Toulouse, September 21, 2001. Moved, this man summarizes what many other Rouennais have felt: a surrender of the State. "Do not put as much time as that [to come]! You have to come in the early hours, you reassure people," he adds while Emmanuel Macron did not hesitate to take a few steps in back to answer him.

"I'm trying to find out when I have to do things," he quickly concedes the president before getting back on track: "Trust me, we'll follow up. we are improving and we must think about the future. "

Whistled by "yellow vests"

Sometimes accompanied by cries "Macron clears", and whistled by "yellow vests" at the exit of the town hall, the president keeps his course and repeats to the point that there was no failure of the State in management of the crisis. An Emmanuel Macron who wanted to listen and reassuring, but it is "a bit lost lost" for Marion and Jennifer who are surprised to see it arrive while they drank a beer on the terrace. "It's all very well to say what people want to hear, but being a resident of the area where it happened, we know very well that it is not trivial," she says.

>> READ ALSO - A health survey after the Lubrizol factory fire: "I do not understand why not everything was done some time ago"

For her part, Jennifer leaves the benefit of the doubt to the president: "We have the impression that he listens, but we will see". Anyway, the president is now calling for progress, while the first compensation must be released in the coming weeks.

The President @EmmanuelMacron exclusively at the microphone of @fbleuhnormandie during his stroll in Rouen. He announces an international event in the city next year # Lubrizolpic.twitter.com / Y7NbYseyga

- France Blue Normandy (Seine-Maritime, Eure) (@fbleuhnormandie) October 30, 2019

As for the image of the city, Emmanuel Macron promised to improve it by organizing "in 2020 an international event, a summit, to show how beautiful the city is, and to give pride to all Rouennaises and Rouennais".