Emmanuel Macron: "The duty of the nation is to be alongside the Marseillais"
French President Emmanuel Macron during his speech at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille, this Thursday, September 2, 2021. © Guillaume Horcajuelo / Pool via REUTERS
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
The French President assumed Thursday, September 2 his choice to help Marseille, "
a duty of the nation
" he said during a speech from the Phocaean city, assuring that his plan for the second city in France will be "
Good for the whole country
".
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"
Many elected officials say:"
why Marseille?
"
" Began the French president, when unveiling his plan for the city. "
I fully assume that the nation's duty is to be alongside the Marseillais and the Marseillaises,
" he continued, embarking on a long inventory of the weaknesses, but also of the strengths, of a city that 'he describes as "
formidable
".
Marseille is a "
city-world
", "
at the confluence of all challenges
", in particular "
climatic, migratory
", "
poorer than others
", with a poverty which "
has always been concentrated in the same places
", described the president after two days of visit concentrated mainly in the districts of the north of the city, the most deprived.
"
I think that helping Marseille to succeed today is not first of all to give it alms [...], but it is good for the whole country
", insisted the president.
“
Marseilles is touched in its heart by arms trafficking, assassinations, abandoned neighborhoods
”, had listed just before the left mayor of the city, Benoît Payan.
Experimentation on schools
The President of the Republic has also announced that he wants to experiment in Marseille, in 50 “
laboratory
”
schools
, from the start of the 2022 school year, the freedom of choice of teachers by directors.
In these schools, he added, it will be necessary "to be
able to first choose the teachers, to be sure that they are fully motivated, that they adhere to the project
", he insisted, admitting to say "
Full of bad words for a lot of people
".
More generally, he hoped that the city could resolve its "
problem with municipal staff
":
The state does not come and invest so that some people come to collect their tithe.
Sorry to be very frank.
At the same time as we invest, Mr. Mayor, I expect you to reform.
And I know you want to.
Emmanuel Macron's speech on Marseille: “Mr.
the mayor, I expect you to reform ”
Anthony Lattier
President Macron also said he would return in October and February to take stock of the commitments.
(With AFP)
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French politics
France
Emmanuel Macron