Macron in hot water for berating hecklers in Mayotte

French President Emmanuel Macron, already struggling politically in the National Assembly, is getting flak at home for swearing while responding to hecklers during a trip to the cyclone-devastated French overseas territory of Mayotte, an Indian Ocean archipelago off the southeast coast of Africa.

The official death count from Cyclone Chido, which made landfall on Saturday, is now 35 but observers fear far more may have perished.

Macron's visit to Mayotte was extended into Friday to allow him to get a fuller appreciation for the situation and was designed to send a message of empathy and support.

On Thursday evening, Macron was greeted by angry residents complaining that the government was abandoning residents in France's poorest overseas territory.

When one resident shouted at Macron, "seven days and you are not able to get the people water!" the president retorted: "Don't pit people against each other. If you set people against each other, we're screwed."

"You're lucky to be in France," continued Macron, "if it wasn't for France you'd be in even deeper shit… 10,000 times deeper… there is no place in the Indian Ocean where people get more help."

Fallout and defense — Macron blames far-right

Macron's comments drew criticism at home from all points along the political spectrum — with the far-left calling them "completely undignified," the Socialists "unpresidential" and the Greens "arrogant." The far-right National Rally (RN), said it was no wonder people were dissatisfied when their president uses such expressions.

On Friday, Macron pushed back, saying those he was responding to were militant RN supporters (whose numbers have grown in Mayotte as illegal immigration there has risen).

"I hear the narrative fueling the National Rally and some of the people who were insulting us yesterday, namely that 'France is doing nothing,'" Macron told local reporters in Mayotte. 

Macron said he could understand the impatience of locals wanting quicker help but he called for unity, saying the French government was doing everything it could to alleviate the situation.

"The cyclone wasn't decided by the government," said Macron, "France is doing a lot. We must be more efficient, but divisive, rabble-rousing speeches won't help."

js/msh (AFP, Reuters)