Eric Zemmour, the French right-wing pundit and possible candidate in the country's upcoming presidential elections, has come under fire after he waved a gun at journalists at the Milipol arms fair in Paris, according to AFP.
During said incident, Zemmour pointed the weapon at reporters and told them with a smile: "It's serious now, eh? Get back, move."
“Aiming at journalists with a weapon and telling them to "back off!" Is not funny,” French junior Interior Minister Marlene Schiappa said as quoted by The Daily Mail. “It is horrifying. Especially after having seriously said that he wanted to ‘reduce the power of the media.’ In a democracy, press freedom is no joke and should never be threatened.”
According to the newspaper, Zemmour has since claimed that the incident was merely a joke, and that “there was no political message or threat.”
“When people attack me, I hit three times very hard,” he said “Let them be warned.”
Zemmour also reportedly slammed Schiappa for her reaction, branding her an “imbecile," “grotesque,” and “ridiculous."