Paris:

French President Emmanuel Macron told a podcast episode shown on Monday that both the far right National Rally (RN) party and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition – front runners in the parliamentary election- risked bringing “civil war” to France.

Macron told the podcast “Generation Do It Yourself” that the manifesto of the RN party – which election pollsters put in first place – and their solutions to deal with fears over crime and immigration were based upon “stigmatisation or division”.

“I think that the solutions given by the far right are out of the question, because it is categorising people in terms of their religion or origins and that is why it leads to division and to civil war,” he told the podcast.

Macron made the same criticism of the France Unbowed (LFI) extreme left-wing party, which forms part of the New Popular Front coalition.

“But that one as well, there is a civil war behind that because you are solely categorising people in terms of their religious outlook or the community they belong to, which in a way is a means of justifying isolating them from the broader national community and in this case, you would have a civil war with those who do not share those same values,” said Macron.

Asked to respond to Macron’s civil war comments, RN president Jordan Bardella – seen as a possible prime minister if the RN wins the most votes in the election – replied to M6 TV: “A President should not say that.”

France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also slammed Macron’s comments in an interview with France 2 TV, saying it was Macron’s own policies that were bringing about civil French President Emmanuel Macron told a podcast episode shown on Monday that both the far right National Rally (RN) party and the left-wing New Popular Front coalition – front runners in the parliamentary election- risked bringing “civil war” to France.

Macron told the podcast “Generation Do It Yourself” that the manifesto of the RN party – which election pollsters put in first place – and their solutions to deal with fears over crime and immigration were based upon “stigmatisation or division”.

“I think that the solutions given by the far right are out of the question, because it is categorising people in terms of their religion or origins and that is why it leads to division and to civil war,” he told the podcast.

Macron made the same criticism of the France Unbowed (LFI) extreme left-wing party, which forms part of the New Popular Front coalition.

“But that one as well, there is a civil war behind that because you are solely categorising people in terms of their religious outlook or the community they belong to, which in a way is a means of justifying isolating them from the broader national community and in this case, you would have a civil war with those who do not share those same values,” said Macron.

Asked to respond to Macron’s civil war comments, RN president Jordan Bardella – seen as a possible prime minister if the RN wins the most votes in the election – replied to M6 TV: “A President should not say that.”

France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon also slammed Macron’s comments in an interview with France 2 TV, saying it was Macron’s own policies that were bringing about civil unrest, such as in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin poses in his office in Paris. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

France could see civil unrest and violence that is related to the elections, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday, June 24, 2024, as campaigning enters its last week before the first round of voting.

Also read: France’s far right National Rally still leading ahead of election, poll shows

“It’s possible that there will be extremely strong tensions,” Mr. Darmanin told RTL radio, adding that authorities were preparing for a “highly inflammable” situation, with the vote taking place less than a month before the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“The people says ‘no’ to the Parisians, to the elites with their diplomas”, Mr. Darmanin told RTL radio.

President Emmanuel Macron, who shocked the nation with a decision to dissolve the National Assembly earlier this month, is not on the ballot, but for many voters, the election is perceived as a referendum on the fate of a President once seen as a able to overcome political divisions, but whose approval ratings collapsed after several political crises.

“I trust you,” Mr. Macron told voters in a ‘letter to the French’ published on Sunday, June 23, in which he sought to cast his camp, lagging in the polls behind the far right and a newly formed leftwing alliance, as the last hope for stability, adding: “I’m not blind: I’m aware of the democratic malaise.”

Mr. Macron also reiterated that he would stay in office until his term ends in 2027 regardless of the outcome of the election.

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the central police station in Noumea, France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia on May 23, 2024. Photo: Via Reuters

President Emmanuel Macron pushed on May 23 for a lifting of protesters’ barricades in riot-hit New Caledonia and pledged that reinforced police forces battling deadly unrest on the French Pacific archipelago “will stay as long as necessary,” even when French security services will be focused in weeks ahead on the massive security operation for the Paris Olympics.

By binning his previously announced schedule to fly across the globe from Paris on his presidential jet, Mr. Macron brought the weight of his office and his personal touch to bear on the crisis that has left six dead and a trail of destruction on the archipelago that is a global source of nickel, used in batteries and other everyday necessities, and where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought independence from France.

Pro-independence Kanak leaders, who a week earlier declined Mr. Macron’s offer of talks by video, turned out on May 23 to greet him in person, bringing them together at a meeting in the capital Nouméa, with rival loyalist leaders who want New Caledonia, which became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III, to remain part of France.

Mr. Macron opened the meeting by calling for a minute of silence for the six people killed in shootings during the violence, including two gendarmes, and read out their names. He subsequently urged local leaders to use their clout to help restore order. He said a state of emergency imposed by Paris the previous week to boost police powers could be lifted only if local leaders call for a clearing away of barricades that demonstrators and people trying to protect their neighborhoods have erected in Nouméa and beyond.

“It’s a simple phrase and it’s best to say because it can have an effect,” Mr. Macron said.

Barricades have turned some parts of Nouméa into no-go zones and made travelling around perilous, including for the sick requiring medical treatment and for families fretting about where to find food and water after shops were pillaged and torched. Unrest continued to simmer even as Mr. Macron jetted in, despite a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and more than 1,000 reinforcements for the archipelago’s police and gendarmes, now 3,000-strong, the French leader said.

“I will be very clear here. These forces will remain as long as necessary. Even during the Olympic Games and Paralympics [which open in Paris on July 26],” Mr. Macron said.

It was late on May 21 in Paris when he left on the 16,000-kilometre (10,000-mile) trip but, because of the distance and time difference, already on May 23 morning in New Caledonia when he arrived, with his Interior and Defence Ministers in tow.

At Nouméa’s La Tontouta International Airport, used for special evacuation flights for stranded tourists but still closed to commercial services, Mr. Macron said on arrival that he wanted “to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible”.

Mr. Macron added that he would discuss the resources needed to repair the damage wrought by days of shootings, arson and other violence that has left at least six dead. The destruction is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars).

“We will discuss questions of economic reconstruction, support and rapid response, and the most delicate political questions, as we talk about the future of New Caledonia,” he said. “By the end of the day, decisions will be taken and announcements will be made.”

When asked by a reporter whether he thought a 12-hour visit was enough, Mr. Macron responded, “We will see. I don’t have a limit.”

The violence erupted May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize the Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

There have been decades of tensions over the issue of independence between the Kanaks and descendants of colonists and others who settled in the territory of 2,70,000 people and want to remain part of France.

Mr. Macron, in the past, has facilitated dialogue in New Caledonia between pro-independence and pro-France factions. The efforts culminated in a 2018 referendum, the first of three, in which New Caledonians voted to remain part of France by a narrow margin.

The violence is the most severe in New Caledonia since the 1980s, the last time France imposed on state of emergency on the archipelago. French authorities say more than 280 people have been arrested.

Noumea:

President Emmanuel Macron landed in France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Thursday, vowing to restore calm “as quickly as possible” after separatist unrest that has left six people dead and hundreds injured.

Macron arrived in the capital Noumea to meet political and business leaders on a high-stakes mission to end more than a week of looting, arson and deadly clashes that have swept the popular holiday destination.

After exiting the plane at Tontouta International Airport, the French leader said his goal was that “as quickly as possible there will be a return to peace, calm, security”.

“That is the absolute priority,” Macron said.

French authorities have sent around 3,000 troops, police and other security reinforcements to quell the turmoil, which has left the islands strewn with charred cars and the remains of burned-out schools, shops and businesses.

Police have detained 269 people since the unrest began on May 13, officials said.

Macron led a minute’s silence for the six dead, who include two police, and vowed that the security forces would remain “as long as necessary”.

The high commissioner representing France, Louis Le Franc, said the previous night had been calm.

“There has been no extra damage, but so many things have been destroyed,” he told AFP.

There have long been tensions between the Paris government and pro-independence voices among Indigenous Kanaks, who make up about 40 percent of the population.

Kanak roadblocks

The archipelago’s deadliest unrest in four decades was sparked by French plans to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous residents, something Kanaks say would dilute the influence of their own votes.

AFP correspondents said Kanaks were still manning reinforced roadblocks on the day of Macron’s visit, flying pro-independence flags and displaying protest banners against the electoral reform.

After flying 17,000 kilometres (10,500 miles) from mainland France, Macron was expected to spend about 12 hours on the ground.

He last visited New Caledonia in July 2023, on a trip that was boycotted by Kanak representatives.

The pro-independence FLNKS party said roadblocks would be strengthened and “welcome committees” set up to greet the president, backed by the CCAT activist group that has organised protests against voting reform.

The CCAT said it would block major routes leading to the north of the island throughout the day on Thursday.

“I don’t know why our fate is being discussed by people who don’t even live here,” said Mike, a 52-year-old Kanak at a roadblock north of the capital, on the eve of Macron’s arrival.

Armed locals, of French and other origins, have set up their own neighbourhood barricades.

France last week imposed a state of emergency leading to house arrests of Kanak militants, a nighttime curfew, and bans on TikTok, gatherings, the sale of alcohol and the carrying of weapons.

The 12-day crisis measure will not be extended if all sides call for an end to the blockades, Macron said as he announced plans for a task force to deal with the situation.

Tourists trapped

Trapped tourists have begun to flee the turmoil.

Australia said 187 people had been flown back to the country. New Zealand has also repatriated scores of tourists through the domestic Noumea Magenta Airport.

Further tourist evacuation flights will be organised when the international airport reopens to commercial flights, which the operator expects to happen on Saturday.

New Caledonia has on three occasions rejected independence in referendums. The last of those ballots took place during the Covid-19 pandemic and was boycotted by Kanaks who fiercely oppose French rule.

The plan to give a vote to those who have lived in the territory for at least 10 years has exacerbated Kanak resentment but is widely backed by pro-France representatives.

Macron ruled out going back on the result of the referendums, saying peace could not come at the cost of ignoring the will of the people or “somehow denying the road that has already been taken”.

One option open to Macron would be to delay the voting rights bill, which has been approved by the lower house but still needs to be ratified by a congress of both French houses of parliament.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and his wife Peng Liyuan watch folklore dancers at the Tourmalet pass, in the Pyrenees moutains, as part of his two-day state visit to France, on May 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Tuesday hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping at one of his beloved childhood haunts in the Pyrenees mountains, pressing a message to Beijing not to support Russia’s war against Ukraine and to accept fairer trade.

The first day of Mr. Xi’s state visit to France, his first to Europe since 2019, saw respectful but sometimes robust exchanges between the two men during a succession of talks on Monday.

The peaceful mountain village of Bagnere-de-Bigorre and nearby La Mongie — as well as lunch accompanied by their wives, Peng Liyuan and Brigitte Macron — will allow Mr. Xi and Mr. Macron to explore these issues in relative privacy.

Mr. Macron personally welcomed Mr. Xi when he arrived at Tarbes airport in southwest France and the leaders headed to a mountain restaurant to dine on local lamb, cheeses and wines.

Europe is concerned that while officially neutral over the Ukraine conflict, Beijing is essentially backing Russia, which is using Chinese machine tools for weapons production.

After a bilateral meeting with Mr. Xi, Mr. Macron welcomed China’s “commitments” not to supply arms to Russia, while also expressing concern over possible deliveries of dual-use technology.

London:

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday underlined the importance of shipping urgent humanitarian support into war-torn Gaza, the UK government said.

They spoke by telephone following the expansion of Israel’s military operation against Hamas and expressed “their shared concern at the risk of escalation in the wider region”, said a Downing Street spokesperson.

Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Since the attack, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed — half of them children — by Israel’s relentless retaliatory bombardments.

“The leaders stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza,” said the readout of the conversation between Sunak and Macron. 

“They agreed to work together on efforts both to get crucial food, fuel, water and medicine to those who need it, and to get foreign nationals out.”

The pair updated each other on the conversations they have had with leaders in the region “to stress the importance of working to ensure regional stability.”

“They expressed their shared concern at the risk of escalation in the wider region, in particular in the West Bank,” the readout added.

Sunak and Macron also “agreed that it was important not to lose sight of the long-term future of the region and, in particular, the need for a two-state solution”.

“They underscored that Hamas does not represent ordinary Palestinians and that their barbarism should not undermine the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people,” Number 10 said.

According to France’s presidential office, the pair also reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself within the limits of international law.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron before their talks in Jerusalem, on October 24, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on October 24 not to leave Israel isolated in its fight against Islamist militants, but warned against the risks of a regional conflict as he arrived in Israel.

After meeting with families of French victims at Tel Aviv airport, Mr. Macron told President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem that France stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel and that the first objective should be to free hostages in Gaza.

Israel-Hamas war, Day 18 updates

“I want you to be sure that you’re not left alone in this war against terrorism,” Mr. Macron said. “It is our duty to fight against terrorism, without any confusion and without enlarging this conflict.”

Beyond showing solidarity with Israel, Mr. Macron wanted to make “proposals that are as operational as possible” to prevent an escalation, to free hostages, and guarantee Israel’s security and work towards a two-state solution, presidential advisers said. He will push for a humanitarian truce, they added.

Mr. Macron’s visit comes after European Union foreign ministers on Monday struggled to agree on a call for a “humanitarian pause” in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas to allow much more aid to reach civilians.

Mr. Macron was also due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, the Elysee said.

Mahmoud Abbas’s office said Mr. Macron would meet with the Palestinian leader in Ramallah, West Bank.

However, Mr. Macron’s ability to influence events in the region appears limited by what some analysts say is a shift towards a more pro-Israel Anglo-American line, in contrast with the traditionally distinctive and more pro-Arab French Gaullist approach.

“France’s soft power south of the Mediterranean has considerably faded,” said Karim Emile Bitar, a Beirut-based foreign policy expert at French think tank IRIS.

“We’re under the impression that nothing distinguishes France from other Western countries now,” he said.

The French government’s decision to adopt a blanket ban on pro-Palestinian protests, before it was struck down by courts, is one reason Macron has lost credit in the Arab world, he said.

French officials contest the idea that Macron’s policy is biased. They say Mr. Macron has constantly reaffirmed the rights of Palestinians and the position of a two-state solution. “It’s a goal France has never veered from,” the adviser said.

Thirty French citizens were killed on Oct. 7 and nine are still missing. One appeared in a video released by Hamas, but the fate of the others remains unknown.

Macron has vowed that France would “not abandon any of its children” in Gaza and has expressed hope that Qatar’s mediation can help free hostages.

Mr. Macron’s visit will also have a special resonance at home, where France’s large Muslim and Jewish communities are on tenterhooks following the killing of a teacher by an Islamist militant that French officials have linked to the events in Gaza.

The French leader will have to tread a fine line during his tour of the region, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict having often stoked tension back home and France’s fractious opposition being ready to pounce on any faux pas.

Tel Aviv, Israel:

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to express his country’s “full solidarity” with Israel after the deadly October 7 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to an AFP journalist.

His visit comes more than two weeks after Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.

Among them were 30 French citizens.

Macron was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express France’s “full solidarity” with Israel after that attack, the French presidency said.

He was also expected to call for the “preservation of the civilian population” in Gaza, amid Israel’s relentless bombardment, and as it prepares for a ground invasion of the overcrowded Palestinian enclave.

More than 5,000 people, most of them women and children, have died during Israel’s attacks, according to numbers given by the Hamas-run health ministry.

Macron will in particular call for a “humanitarian truce” to allow desperately needed aid into Gaza, whose 2.4 million people have been largely deprived of water, food, electricity and other basic supplies after an Israeli blockade, the Elysee Palace said.

Macron and Netanyahu were due to hold a joint press conference at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT).

The French head of state was also due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as well as opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid in Jerusalem.

And in Tel Aviv, he was due to meet the families of French and French-Israeli nationals killed in the Hamas attack or being held hostage in Gaza.

Seven French citizens are still missing: one of them, a French woman, has been confirmed as among the more than 200 people Israel says were taken hostage by Hamas.

Macron has said the others are also thought to be hostages, but there has not yet been confirmation.

The French president also aims to continue efforts “to avoid a dangerous escalation in the region”, the Elysee said, amid growing alarm over swelling cross-border exchanges between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Macron will propose relaunching a “true peace process”, with the aim of creating a viable Palestinian state in exchange for guarantees from regional powers towards “Israel’s security”.

There will also probably be exchanges with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and leaders of Gulf nations, the Elysee said.

US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have already visited Israel.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his wife Britta Ernst welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at the airport for a joint cabinet meeting of the German and French Government in Hamburg , Germany, on October 09, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will host France’s President Emmanuel Macron on October 9 for talks in Hamburg, a visit overshadowed by the conflict between Palestinian militants and Israel.

The two-day meeting, which also gathers Ministers under the German-French government consultation format, had been due to focus on digital innovations including artificial intelligence.

But the long-planned event will also give Mr. Scholz and Mr. Macron a chance to huddle and coordinate a European response after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel at the weekend.

Both Germany and France have pledged their support for Israel, while warning against a regional escalation.

Also Read: France and Germany backed report pushes for EU enlargement, four tier membership

On arrival in Hamburg, Mr. Macron and Mr. Scholz will tour an Airbus factory before taking a harbour cruise.

“We will take a boat along the Elbe, eat some fish sandwiches and discuss the mid- and long-term,” said a French aide of the President.

No immediate announcement is expected following the talks, but subjects to be broached during the meeting are far from trivial.

They have gained urgency as the government consultations were first postponed in 2022 over the war in Ukraine while Mr. Macron’s visit, due in July, was delayed over riots in France.

Over the last months, increasing friction has appeared to emerge over the two countries’ vision on how to deal with an energy price shock sparked by the Ukraine war, nuclear power as well as European rearmament.

Jacob Ross, political analyst at the Alfred von Oppenheim Centre for the Future of Europe, said the topics in Hamburg could range from energy security to defence to immigration.

“More and more questions are on the table, waiting for answers,” said Ross.

For Maria Krpata of the French Institute of International Relations, “it’s about giving shape to the concepts of economic security”.

It was important for the European giants to “create an alliance on artificial intelligence” as the continent seeks to de-risk from China, she added.

The EU is seeking to reduce its reliance on China, after it was stung by dependencies on Russian energy amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

President Emmanuel Macron said France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President Emmanuel Macron announced on September 24 that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.

The announcement is a significant, if predicted, blow to France’s policy in Africa, after French troops pulled out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the region at the request of African leaders to fight jihadist groups.

France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to leave, saying that France didn’t recognize the coup leaders as legitimate.

Also Read | Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July

Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have mounted in recent weeks, and Mr. Macron said recently that diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy.

In an interview with France-2 television, Mr. Macron said that he spoke Sunday to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, and told him that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”

He added, “And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities.” He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year.

He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time.

The military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup. The junta leaders claimed that Bazoum’s government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency.

The junta in August gave French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity.

The junta is now under sanctions by Western and regional African powers.

In New York on Friday, the military government that seized power in Niger accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.’s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France and its allies.