Paris (AFP)

Isolated act or expression of deeper anger?

The executive sees in the slap to the head of state an "isolated fact" but for other politicians or analysts, it is a sign of discontent still present since the movement of "yellow vests".

If the slap inflicted on Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday in the Drôme by a fan of medieval history subscribed to far-right sites is a "serious" act, which aroused general indignation, it is "not representative" of French or even the "anger" of some of them, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Wednesday.

If there are "worried French people, who doubt, who are angry", they "know how to express this in the context of the debate and in the context of the vote", he pleaded.

The leader of LREM deputies Christophe Castaner told him that Emmanuel Macron, left immediately after the slap to greet onlookers, was going "in contact" with the French, while the head of state is accused by his opponents of arrogance even contempt.

Emmanuel Macron launched last week in a tour of France of the regions to take the pulse of the country after more than a year of pandemic, which succeeded the crisis of "yellow vests" at the end of 2018-beginning of 2019, during which thousands of protesters marched every week against government policy.

In particular, portraits of the head of state had been burned and the president had experienced his greatest unpopularity at the time.

- Hate -

This slap could be the "sign of a return of extremely hot anger" which was "frozen" by the Covid, warns political scientist Pascal Perrineau, who was one of the "guarantors" of the great debate organized by the executive after the "yellow vests" crisis.

This gesture reflects the fact that there is "nothing more between the president and angry French people", while for decades, the political debate was organized with "collective forces", political parties, unions , or intermediate bodies.

"There, there is nothing more" and "even more ideology", explains on France 5 Mr. Perrineau researcher at Cevipof.

"When there is no longer an ideology, when there is no longer a collective, (...) there are still people, individuals, whom we can adulate or hate, and there are many hatred because French society is angry, "he underlines.

A study by the Jean-Jaurès Foundation advanced in April that the level of detestation of Emmanuel Macron was the main factor of a possible victory for Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, in addition to the programmatic rapprochement between RN and LR and "demonization" of the former National Front.

The four emotions that stand out the most on Mr. Macron are all negative: "anger", "despair", "disgust", then "shame", note the authors, recalling that emotions play "a considerable role "in electoral behavior.

- "Listen" -

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire saw in this gesture "a long deterioration of the public debate".

This act "obliges to make the democratic debate in a peaceful way, to respect his interlocutor" and to "not to have remarks which can be likened to violence", pleaded in this regard the boss of the CFDT Laurent Berger.

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The boss of the CGT Philippe Martinez points for his part "a democratic problem in this country, a quality of listening which is not up to the social and economic problems posed".

Relaunching pension reform, as the government suggests, after a health crisis which has "exhausted" employees, can thus cause a "large-scale social movement", warns Ifop analyst Jérôme Fourquet.

The sovereignist and candidate for the Elysee Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, believes him on Twitter that Emmanuel Macron "is hated because he no longer represents the country" and sees in the slap the manifestation of a "democratic crisis", from which "we should not be surprised to see these acts of violence".

© 2021 AFP