Emmanuel Macron has been accused of hypocrisy and labelled a "criminal" by environmentalist MPs after photos of him speeding through Mediterranean waters on a jet ski emerged online.
"This confirms the persistent impression that he does not understand climate change. And nowadays, it is criminal not to understand it," Europe Ecology – The Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau said.
A member of Macron's La République En Marche party told tabloid Voici he was "incredulous" when he saw the photos in question, just weeks after the French president called on the nation to activate an “energy sobriety” plan.
However, it wasn't just the MPs who criticized Macron: social media users couldn't help but rip into the French leader:
Others alluded to the raging fires in France, where over 10,000 firefighters and security forces have been battling the blaze. The fire erupted in July, destroying 14,000 hectares and forcing thousands of people to evacuate before it was contained. Nonetheless, it continued to smoulder in some parts, especially near the city of Bordeaux, with officials suspecting arson may have played a role in the latest flare-up, which has burned 6,800 hectares (17,000 acres) since Tuesday.
Tweet: "When Macron goes jet-skiing, more than a dozen people are mobilized to prepare and organize the outing, and install his precious rear on the jet."
Tweet: "While Macron is jet-skiing..."
Tweet: "While the fire is burning the forests and destroying our houses, with the fire fanned by a 40°C heatwave and violent winds due to global warming, Macron is jet-skiing in Bregançon. The right will say demagoguery. We say he's an accomplice."
He was also pictured a few days ago on a canoe trip near Fort de Brégançon, with Julien Bayou, chief of the Europe Ecology-Les Verts party, telling AFP that it was a "distraction" that the president used to make people forget his government’s “inaction” on climate change. Bayou said it was too transparent to switch from jet skis to canoes and present it as an “attempt at austerity.”
Tweet: "After Macron's eco operation in a canoe, the President was photographed on a 150hp jet ski in the bay of La Palud and less than 600m from the coast, an area prohibited for all motor vehicles according to a decree of the maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean."
The controversy erupted amid Macron's "energy sobriety" plan, which was devised in order to slash French energy consumption amid possible shortages due to sanctions on Russian gas. While Macron has been urging the French to save energy, his jet ski is said to consume significantly more fuel per kilometre than the average car.