“They are completely stupid”, this sentence from French President Emmanuel Macron in Haiti caused a scandal on social networks. This Thursday, November 21, 2024, the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the French ambassador following this controversial outing.
Comments deemed “unacceptable” by the Haitian government. Traveling for the G20 in Rio, Emmanuel Macron was questioned by a Haitian “insistently”say those close to the French president. This man would have accused President Emmanuel Macron “of being responsible for the situation in Haiti”, just as much as Paris, which he considers also responsible for the chaotic situation plaguing the country.
“They are completely stupid”
Emmanuel Macron then responded to his interlocutor and denounced the drug trafficking present on the island: “There frankly, it was the Haitians who killed Haiti, leaving drug trafficking”he said. The French president also took the opportunity to denounce the dismissal of the country’s former Prime Minister: “And there, what they did, the Prime Minister was great, I defended him, they fired him”he found regrettable. As a reminder, the former Haitian Prime Minister, Garry Conille, appointed five months earlier, was fired from the government two weeks ago.
In this video which is causing a scandal on social networks, Emmanuel Macron continues his remarks by accusing the country’s leaders of being “completely stupid”: “It’s terrible. It’s terrible. And I can’t replace him. They are completely stupidthey should never have released it, the Prime Minister was great”. Faced with his comments, Port-au-Prince expressed its “indignation”: “The indignation of the Transitional Power in the face of what it considers to be an unfriendly and inappropriate gesture which deserves to be rectified ».
Macron provides “his support for the Haitian people”
However, upon his arrival in Chile, Emmanuel Macron wished to provide his support to the Haitian people: “ France will continue to provide its support to the Haitian people and to support all initiatives aimed at restoring security and recreating a path towards a stable political situation. Haitians deserve it”he declared before the Congress of Chile, in Valparaiso.
As a reminder, Haiti is experiencing serious political, security, economic crises and violence due to the presence of gangs. In the country, gangs control 80% of the capital. Since 2021, Haiti has been deprived of having a president at the head of its state. Recently, the Prime Minister was fired from his position as Head of Government by the Haitian presidential transition council. This Thursday, the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned the French ambassador to explain the comments of President Emmanuel Macron. According to Haitian diplomacy, the French ambassador would have “recognized that these were unfortunate comments”. For its part, the Elysée did not react.
