Rebellious France has attracted the wrath of… Golfers.
In an open letter, the president of the French Golf Federation, Pascal Grizot, protested against a poster campaign from Jean-Luc Mélenchon's party which, according to him, equates golfers "with the rich and the racists".
“We were surprised - and let's say it quite shocked - to see that you assimilate golf players to categories of populations that you do not seem to hold in great esteem,” he wrote in a letter, published on the website of its federation.
"We are referring to the posters which carry the slogans 'the racists vote..., the rich vote..., the golfers vote...'", he specified to Mathilde Panot, the president of the LFI group at the National Assembly.
The MP relayed last Sunday on the social network X (formerly Twitter) the poster campaign of her movement intended to encourage voters to vote in the European elections in June.
“The rich vote!”
Racists and golfers too.
And you ?
», she wrote in her message, accompanied by the visuals of this campaign.
⚠️ The rich vote!
Racists and golfers too.
And you ?
✅ Check your electoral situation: https://t.co/wW4HxBK6pD#onsregister pic.twitter.com/TXP9ihnGwW
— Mathilde Panot (@MathildePanot) February 4, 2024
“Quite demagogic clichés”
“You seem to ignore the sociology of our sport, the practice of which continues to become popular and now brings together more than 600,000 players in France, including 446,000 licensed with the ffgolf,” continues the president.
“Golf will be as widely practiced in France in 2023 as handball, basketball and even judo.
"Friendly" disciplines which do not seem to be the subject of the same denigration on your part", regrets Pascal Grizot again, evoking "fairly demagogic clichés which can be brandished by some".