Nothing goes between Emmanuel Macron and the Anglo-Saxon press.
For the third time in two weeks, the President of the Republic was annoyed by the treatment given by several English-language media to the recent terrorist attacks in France.
After the
Financial Time
and
Politico
, it is to the
New York Times
that the Head of State expressed his criticisms, deploring in particular that
"many newspapers (...) legitimize this violence"
by explaining that
"the heart of the problem is that France is racist and Islamophobic ”
.
Clearly, if there are Islamist attacks in the country, it is because its president would have looked for it a bit.
To read also:
Guillaume Cuchet: "Secularism is the sex cover of demographic, cultural and historical issues"
At the heart of this weapon pass, there is a misunderstanding born of the Mureaux discourse on Islamist separatism.
Accused in the Muslim world of having declared war on Islam, the President of the Republic then saw the Arab streets multiply calls for murder against him and threats against France.
After the savage assassination of Professor Samuel Paty, the pressure rises again when he defends the right to caricature.
To try to bring it down, Emmanuel Macron decides to grant an interview to the Al Jazeera channel.
"Lots of lies"
It is a question of both trying to explain the concept of French secularism and to defend freedom of expression.
The Head of State deplores that his words have been distorted or even manipulated on purpose.
“The reactions of the Muslim world were due to a lot of lies,” he
explains then.
In the process, the Mureaux speech is translated into the language of the countries concerned, as is the tribute to Samuel Paty delivered at the Sorbonne.
The Quai d'Orsay mobilizes its ambassadors, in the Middle East in particular, to educate the President of the Republic.
Read also:
Secularism: France's lonely fight
"He does not want to let the idea take hold that he may have attacked Muslims at any time
,
"
explains people around him.
It is a question of making understand that Emmanuel Macron fights radical Islamism, not Islam.
"We must not forget that more than 80% of the victims of this Islamist terrorism come from the Muslim world, we have seen it again in Mozambique in recent days"
, he repeated on Monday in an interview with the European think-tank Le Grand Continent.
The message had barely begun to pass when another front opened, in the Anglo-Saxon world this time.
The posture is simple: we react whenever the president's words are hijacked
A Macron adviser
“The
Washington Post
, the
New York Times
, the
Guardian
,
Politico
,
Associated Press
, the
Financial Times
…
, says an adviser.
Many titles have started to publish columns based on hijacked remarks by the President of the Republic. ”
Same symptoms, same treatment: the speeches of the Mureaux and the Sorbonne are this time translated into English, the ambassadors in London and Washington are mobilized, the Elysee is on the teeth.
On this highly sensitive subject, the Head of State does not want to let anything go.
"The posture is simple: we react each time the president's words are diverted,"
sums up an adviser.
Hence this conversation with a reporter from the
New York Times
to talk about secularism.
A vision opposed to that of America
“Our model is universalist and not multiculturalist
,” explains Emmanuel Macron.
In society, I don't care if someone is black, yellow, white, if they are Catholic or Muslim, they are first and foremost a citizen
.
"
To read also:
Freedom of expression and caricatures: for Macron, France is not "going to change" its right "because it shocks elsewhere"
A vision opposite to that of America that Barack Obama recalls in an interview with
The Atlantic
.
"The United States is the first real experience of building a large multi-ethnic and multi-cultural democracy
," said the former American president, warning:
"We do not yet know if it can hold."
For its part, secularism and its principle of separation of Church and State have been held since the beginning of the 20th century.
This does not prevent him from facing trials.
The misunderstanding of the Anglo-Saxon world towards him is one among others.