Macron could lose all support he has

By Paul Dijks 9 November 2018



360b / shutterstock.com

French President Emmanuel Macron, amidst his already rock bottom approval ratings, is going for broke, trying to lose every last ounce of support he has.
He paid homage to WWI hero turned Nazi collaborator, Marshal Philippe Pétain. “I consider it entirely legitimate that we pay homage to the marshals who led our army to victory. Marshal Philippe Pétain was a great soldier in World War One,” Macron said.
“As such”, Macron added, “the man who led French troops to victory at the Battle of Verdun is worthy of being honoured alongside other military chiefs on the war’s centenary.”
Of course that wartime general would go on to lead France’s infamous Nazi-allied Vichy Regime.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Francis Kalifat, Head of French Jewish Council (CRIF) exclaims: “I am shocked by this statement,” pointing out that Pétain authorised the deportation of 76,000 French Jews to Nazi death camps.
“It’s hard to imagine what would happen if [German] Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wanted to honour Marshal [Hermann] Goering, who was also a war hero on the German side,” added Haim Messika of the World Jewish Congress.
And political commentator Thomas Guenole explained this reasoning is flawed as Adolf Hitler was also given similar honours after his military service in World War I.
When Macron announced his intentions on twitter, he was met with a furious backlash.
‘Pétain is a traitor!’, wrote many on twitter. As Pétain was found guilty of treason for his actions as leader of Vichy France, he is the typification of a disgraced hero. Jewish groups, political opponents and French citizens vented outrage against Macron.
Pétain was sentenced to death for treason, though De Gaulle commuted this to life in prison taking into account Pétain’s previous heroism and his old age.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/11/ma...UmI0yY.twitter