Emmanuel Macron - The African Mirror

Jun

2023

France unrest: Riots spread, thousands march in memory of shot teenager

LAYLI FOROUDI and NOEMIE OLIVE PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron fought to contain a mounting crisis as unrest erupted for a third day over the deadly police shooting of a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb. Forty thousand police officers were to deploy across France -- nearly four times the numbers mobilised on Wednesday -- but there were few signs that government appeals to de-escalation in the violence would quell the widespread anger. In Nanterre, the working-class town on the western outskirts of Paris where 17-year-old Nahel M. was shot dead on Tuesday, protesters…

Jun

2023

By LAYLI FOROUDI and JULIETTE JABKHIRO

Paris police shooting: Macron deplores ‘inexcusable’ killing of teenager

WORLD

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting dead of a 17-year-old by police during a traffic stop near Paris "inexcusable" in a rare criticism of law-enforcement hours after the incident triggered unrest. A police officer is being investigated for voluntary homicide for shooting the youth, who was of North African origin. Prosecutors say he failed to comply with an order to stop his car early on Monday. The interior ministry called for calm after at least 31 were arrested in overnight clashes, mainly in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the victim lived, with youths burning cars and shooting fireworks at police,…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

With lavish treatment of Macron, China’s Xi woos France to “counter” U.S.

WORLD

MICHEL ROSE and JAMES POMFRET CHINA'S Xi Jinping has given French President Emmanuel Macron an unusually lavish welcome on a state visit, which some analysts see as a sign of Beijing's growing offensive to woo key allies within the European Union to counter the United States. The two leaders visited southern China together on Friday, where Macron was due to drink Chinese tea with Xi in a former residence of his father in the city of Guangzhou, the capital of the economic and manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong province. Such forays by Xi with visiting leaders are rare. Diplomats say it…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Macron seeks China’s help on Ukraine, Xi ‘willing’ to call Zelenskiy

WORLD

MICHEL ROSE and LAURIE CHEN CHINA'S Xi Jinping expressed willingness to speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the head of the EU said after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. In closely watched talks, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and Macron met with Xi in Beijing. Macron said the West must engage China to help end the crisis and prevent "spiralling" tensions that could split global powers into warring blocs. Xi, who has sought to position China as a potential mediator in the conflict but has been seen…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Embattled Macron heads to China, leaving burning Paris behind

WORLD

MICHEL ROSE and JOHN IRISH FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron will head to China next week for a rare visit to the rising superpower, in an awkward balancing act between his global statesman ambitions and his struggle to contain embarrassing pension protests at home. The French leader, whose decision to ram much-disputed pension legislation through parliament earlier this month sparked clashes and violence in French cities, is trying to keep his busy diplomatic schedule on track. But the chaotic scenes of burning piles of rubbish in Paris, which were broadcast around the world, have already forced Macron to cancel a state visit by Britain's King…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Macron ends Africa tour with wish for fair reset of ties

NEWS

ELIZABETH PINEAU EMMANUEL Macron shared his vision of a renewed partnership with Africa in which it stands equal with France, as he concluded a tour where he has sought to dispel France's image as an arrogant former colonial power whilst bidding for future influence. The French President held talks on Saturday with President Felix Tshisekedi in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which this week saw several small-scale protests - signs of rising anti-French sentiment in parts of Francophone Africa. At a joint press conference, Macron acknowledged France was among foreign powers jostling for influence in Africa but said he…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Macron flies to Africa to counter waning French influence

NEWS

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron will fly to Africa this week in a bid to counter Russian efforts to dislodge France from the continent after Paris suffered a series of military and political setbacks in its former sphere of influence. Macron will visit three African nations around the Congo basin as well as Angola, with the focus of the trip being ostensibly away from France's troubled former colonies in the Sahel, where anti-French sentiment is on the rise. Ahead of the trip on Monday evening, Macron is expected to spell out his new African policy in a speech and press conference…

Feb

2023

By ABBEY MAKOE

West must tone down their war cries, negotiate with Russia

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WAR-MONGERING, threats and gung-ho diplomacy dominated a gathering of Western leaders in Germany over the past weekend during which war - instead of peace – was given yet another chance to prevail. This year’s Munich Security Conference was, predictably, dominated by the war in Ukraine and how the West can continue to shore up Kyiv’s military to “acceptable NATO levels”. The conference was a global spectacle attended by delegates from more than 100 countries. Western heads of state, accompanied by diplomats and other officials, intelligence personnel and various strategic operatives intermingled with a single mission of revising and reviewing the…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Russia tells Macron: Don’t forget Napoleon when you talk of regime change

WORLD

RUSSIA scolded Emmanuel Macron over remarks about wanting to see Russia defeated, saying Moscow still remembered the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte and accusing the French president of duplicitous diplomacy with the Kremlin. Macron told the paper Le Journal du Dimanche that France wanted Russia to be defeated in Ukraine but had never wanted to "crush" it. "About 'Never': France did not begin with Macron, and the remains of Napoleon, revered at the state level, rest in the centre of Paris. France - and Russia - should understand," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "In general, Macron is priceless," she said, adding…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Jennifer Garner, John Legend attend lavish U.S. state dinner for France’s Macron

WORLD

STEVE HOLLAND and JEFF MASON U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for celebrities, lawmakers, and titans of industry at the White House's first state dinner in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron. The dinner is the crowning social event of a trip aimed at showing Biden's commitment to Washington's oldest ally even as the two countries wrangle over how to handle Russia's war in Ukraine, subsidies for U.S. products and other issues. The guest list included actress Jennifer Garner and her daughter with Ben Affleck, Violet; singer John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen; "Vogue" editor Anna Wintour; and director…