Macron reportedly angry over student protest sign mocking his marriage
French President Emmanuel Macron is said to be furious after a television news broadcast showed a protest placard containing a vulgar reference to his relationship with his wife Brigitte, who was once his...
French President Emmanuel Macron is said to be furious after a television news broadcast showed a protest placard containing a vulgar reference to his relationship with his wife Brigitte, who was once his teacher. Students across France have been protesting since late September, demanding more resources and teachers for schools as well as greater structural equality in the education system.
Among the slogans appearing regularly at the demonstrations is "Macron bz ta prof, pas les nôtres," which roughly translates as "Macron, fuck your teacher, not ours." The abbreviation "bz" is used in French to avoid spelling out the vulgar word "baiser." Macron, 48, met his wife Brigitte, 73, when she was his teacher at a private secondary school in Amiens, northern France.
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The protest sign appeared briefly during the 1 pm news broadcast on public broadcaster France 2 on Tuesday. Macron was incensed that the offensive slogan had been aired and that no one at the broadcaster had apologized, the Le Parisien newspaper and broadcaster France Inter reported.
The controversy gained attention after the right-wing website Destination Télé published a screenshot of the placard. "We are not responsible for what protesters write on their placards," Julien Duperray, head of national news at France Télévisions, said. However, he acknowledged that the broadcaster had a responsibility to exercise editorial oversight.
"Our job is to maintain control over what we show in our broadcasts, especially when certain words may be offensive," he said, according to France Info. Duperray added that management had reminded all editorial teams of this responsibility.
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