Marine Le Pen Blasts Macron as 'Pyromaniac' Who 'Uses' Health Crisis After His Comments on Unvaxxed

18:57 GMT, 7 January 2022
© AFP 2023 / PASCAL GUYOT
Daria Bedenko
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Earlier in the week, the French president lambasted those are unwilling to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying that he "really wants to p*** them off". After being slammed for the remarks, he said he still stands by his words.
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Head of the French party National Rally Marine Le Pen branded President Emmanuel Macron a "pyromaniac" and chided him for "using" the health crisis after his remarks about unvaccinated people.

"Having a pyromaniac who starts a debate [...] with words that are very violent does not seem likely to me to [help find] solutions to get out of the health crisis", Le Pen told reporters on Friday. "When we are facing a crisis [...] what we must seek is the unity of the country, it is the unity of the country that resolves crises [...] and not the division".

Her remarks come shortly after Macron lashed out at the unvaccinated in an interview with Le Parisien, saying that he wants to "p*** them off" by ensuring that new measures will bar those without the jabs from public life.
According to Le Pen, Macron was "using" the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic in his remarks in order to gain political capital.

"Is it useful? The answer is no. Is it effective? The answer is no", Le Pen continued.

Despite the backlash over his harsh remarks, Macron appeared to "fully" stand by them, even though "people can get upset" by his choice of words.

"I'm upset about the situation we're in, that's where the real divisions are in the country", the president said during one of his pressers in Paris.

He noted that being a citizen envisages having both rights and duties, but duties "come first".

"The idea of freedom brandished by some of our fellow citizens to say 'I'm free not to get vaccinated', that stops where you impinge on others' liberty, where you put others' lives in danger", he outlined.

Since July, it has been required to have a COVID-19 health pass in France to go to restaurants, bars, and shopping centres, as well as to board airplanes and long-distance trains. Vaccination has also been made mandatory for healthcare workers, and the only way to get a COVID pass is to either get jabbed or show a recent negative coronavirus test.
Another pandemic restriction is also on its way, making a negative PCR test insufficient to access trains, hospitality venues, bars, gyms, and other public places. The legislation is to enter into force on 15 January, and it has already prompted massive protests across France, with thousands of people taking to the streets and sometimes clashing with the police.
FranceMarine Le PenEmmanuel Macron
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