Skip to Content

Emmanuel Macron. Wikipedia

Macron’s lack of Christmas greetings sparks outrage

While most European heads of state have sent their wishes on Christmas, the silence of Emmanuel Macron has not gone unnoticed.

Published: December 28, 2019, 5:41 am

    Read more

    Paris

    It is however a customary greeting in other countries. Every year, leaders from around the world send Christmas wishes to their compatriots. The French President, for his part, did not this year, triggering a wave of indignation.

    Macron, who left for Fort Brégançon with his wife Brigitte to spend the end of year celebrations there, did not send a Christmas message to the nation.

    Several elected officials of the National Rally (RN) and Republicans (LR) have expressed themselves on this subject on social networks.

    Thus, for Nadine Morano, MEP LR, the President of the Republic is very critical of France abroad, and “to love and honor its traditions, its Christian roots is too difficult”.

    Member of the RN Jordan Bardella, a MEP, said: “Whenever Emmanuel Macron addresses the French, it is either contemptuous or to announce bad news.” He recorded a video on the issue. “Christmas is a moment that is priceless for millions of people, whether they are Christians or not, it is part of a heritage that the President of the Republic is supposed to protect,” he argued.

    “We are very happy that he regularly celebrates on his social networks the breaking of the fast, the end of Ramadan, but we would like him to do it for traditions that are included in the calendar,” he also added. For him, not wishing the French a “Merry Christmas” when you are the president of the nation, obviously “means something”.

    The same reasoning was used by Fabien Lombard, departmental secretary for Debout la France. “When you know Emmanuel Macron’s potential in terms of communication, you cannot think for a moment that the absence of Christmas wishes is a simple omission. Or an omission so revealing that it is worth all the words in the world to describe a state of affairs,” he tweeted.

    The elected representative of the RN Gilles Pennelle Breton, meanwhile, broadcast a message from the French President dating from 2017 in which he speaks on Iftar, end of the day meal during Ramadan for Muslims.

    In addition, many anonymous people were also indignant when they learned about this, notably when the friendly wishes on video of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson or those of American President Donald Trump are viewed in this context.

    Others preferred to laugh: “It would seem that Emmanuel Macron wished a Merry Christmas to all French people: a greeting card was sent to Bernard Arnault, François Pinault, Xavier Niel, the Peugeot family, Jacques Servier, Jean-Claude Decaux or Vincent Bolloré,” quipped a netizen.

    Based on the annual ranking of the American magazine Forbes, these names represent the richest people in France.

    Contacted by the HuffPost, the Élysée has not yet commented on the absence of a message. In 2018 and 2017, the President and his wife had wished Merry Christmas to the French on social networks.

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    Europe
    Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the Catholic bishops who signed the letter, which was read out in churches throughout Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland over the Easter weekend. Photo: The Catholic Church

    Care prompts bishops to criticize transgender ideology

    The Catholic bishops of the Scandinavian countries presented an open five-page letter criticizing transgender ideology on March 21, just before Easter. The document primarily expresses care and advice and was read aloud in Catholic churches in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the signatories of the document.

    FREEZING IN THEIR HOMES is the new grim reality for many Brits and Northern Europeans. Margaret is 92 years old and has just come in from the winter cold, but no warmth awaits her at home. She fears her own home more than the icy streets. Next to her are four thick blankets, and on the shelf above the fireplace, which she can no longer afford to buy wood for, is a meter showing the daily cost of electricity (inset). It shows £1.03, about 13 SEK. When it reaches £3, about 38 SEK, she is forced to turn off the little heat she has to afford it. Still image: ITW News

    Brits Forced to Live in Darkness and Cold

    Food prices are rising at a furious pace, fastest in Scotland in almost half a century. At the same time, energy prices are at record highs. People are forced to choose between freezing or going hungry, and a majority of Scots are forced to live in cold and darkness to cope with bills. Old generations' tricks for saving and keeping warm are returning. Nevertheless, it is feared that 10,000 Brits will die of cold homes this winter. We present the Swedish Public Health Agency's guidelines on indoor temperature. Governments in Europe are introducing rationing and monitoring of food purchases. Net-zero emissions are a lie that, in practice, de-industrializes the West and dramatically lowers our standard of living.

    Thousands of Flemish farmers block roads in Brussels against nitrogen policy

    BrusselsMore than 2500 farmers from Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region gathered at Brussels' central Arts-Loi street and blocked roads with tractors toward Brussels to protest the regional government's plan to limit nitrogen emissions.

    Orban: EU energy sanctions costing citizens billions

    BudapestHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that some western states could soon send troops to Ukraine. He also criticized the fact that the EU sanctions against Russia had cost Hungarian taxpayers tens of billions of euros.

    Italy: New leader of the Social Democrats is one of Soros’ ‘preferred politicians’

    RomeDuring the election campaign, Elly Schlein presented herself as the standard-bearer of the poorest. However, her background and previous work raise doubts about her honesty.

    UK greenhouses shut down due to high energy costs

    LondonIn Great Britain, a particularly depressing facet of the crisis is now showing its first contours - and thus anticipating what is likely to happen in other European countries in the near future: because of the exploding energy prices, agriculture is being strangled and fresh produce has to be rationed.

    Lisbon opens borders to all Portuguese speakers

    LisbonNot only the German and Italian governments keep opening new paths for immigration. Portugal, too, has opened a Pandora's box and is paving the way for possibly millions of non-European immigrants to the EU – something which is not mentioned by the mainstream media.

    Illegal immigration to Italy has reached its highest level ever

    RomeIn Italy, despite the overwhelming right-wing electoral success in September, there is still nothing to be seen of the promised asylum turnaround – on the contrary. Giorgia Meloni has been in office for five months, but the arrivals of migrants in Italy have doubled compared to the previous year.

    Dismantling diplomacy with ‘feminist foreign policy’

    BudapestGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wants to counter German security issues abroad with feminist politics. Gender training, LGBTQ events and quotas are now part of their new guidelines, which are intended to bring about "cultural change". The German ambassador to Hungary, Julia Gross, provided an embarrassing example.

    Germans demand investigation of Nord Stream sabotage

    BerlinAfter the sensational revelations by US investigative reporter Seymour Hersh about the perpetrators of the Nord Stream attacks on September 26, 2022, the German government has remained silent. It does not want to comment on Hersh's research results, according to which the pipelines were blown up by Americans and Norwegians.

    Go to archive