Emmanuel Macron has been accused of making sexist, racist and homophobic remarks by the French newspaper Le Monde.
The report alleges that Macron told his former health minister Aurélien Rousseau, last year: “The problem of [hospital] emergency departments in this country is that they’re filled with ‘Mamadous’.”
A popular name among men from Muslim ethnic groups in West Africa, the term ‘Mamadou’ is occasionally used in France as a derogatory reference to a person of colour.
The Élysée has issued a furious denial, with an official saying: “The Elysee strongly denies these reported remarks, which were not subjected to any verification by the presidency before publication.”
He has also been accused of sexism after allegedly referring to female political figures as “cocoettes”, which is used as French slang for a promiscuous woman or a prostitute.
It is said he used the term to refer to Marine Tondelier, the leader of the country’s green party, and Lucie Castets, who the Left wanted to nominate for prime minister.
The newspaper said that Macron had also dubbed the official residence of the French prime minister, as “la Cage aux Folles”. It refers to a popular French film about a gay couple running a nightclub, when Gabriel Attal, who is gay and had been appointed last January, was in office.
Opposition leaders on both sides have condemned the reported comments, with Tondelier posting on X: “Yesterday we became aware of extremely shocking homophobic comments by the president of the Republic about Gabriel Attal. Today it’s sexist comments … We await tomorrow with impatience.”
It comes after he was heckled by angry residents of a Mayotte neighbourhood ravaged by cyclone Chido, telling them: “If it wasn’t for France, you’d be 10,000 times deeper in s***”.
Nearly a week after the storm hit, the lack of potable water was testing nerves in France’s poorest overseas territory, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Officials have confirmed at least 35 people were killed by the cyclone but there are fears that many more have died.
He told one resident: "Don’t set people against each other. If you set people against each other, we’re screwed, You are happy to be in France. If it wasn’t for France, you would be in way deeper s***, 10,000 times more, there is no place in the Indian Ocean where people receive more help."
Back at home, opposition MPs pounced on the comments. "I don’t think the president is exactly finding the right words of comfort for our Mayotte compatriots, who, with this kind of expression, always have the feeling of being treated differently," Sebastien Chenu, of the far-right National Rally, said.
Hard-left politician Eric Coquerel said Mr Macron’s comment was "completely undignified".
