News from France: Live from Paris by an expert correspondent

About the author : Leopold Stoeger lives in Paris. He holds a master in international affairs.

26 May 2025 : Was Emmanuel Macron slapped by Brigitte ?   

When Emmanuel Macron meets the ukrainian president Zelensky, he gets a big hug, sometimes even a kiss on the cheek (video).   

When the french head of state travels with his wife, you see sometimes different images: In Vietnam his spouse moved her hand in a very vigorous way towards his mouth (video). To allay the power of this gesture, Macron reacted with a great presence of mind. He tried to parry the energetic hand movement with his own hand, turned his head on the side, and stepped back on his feet. 

The scene was similar to a boxer in the ring who eludes a strong hook to the chin by his adversary. It’s not surprising that the french president reacted so quickly. Macron trains for physical confrontations. CNN has published photos that show the 47 year old politician preparing for box fights.  

Slapping the french president is a very serious crime.

In 2021 Macron was slapped by a pedestrian, when visiting a village in the south of France (click here to see the footage). The 28 year old offender was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which 4 months were unconditional.

Was Emmanuel Macron slapped as well by his wife, as it happens to 75 000 men in France each year (statistics by Le Monde for 2012) ?

The best way to get an answer to this question, is to check the official “political communication” of the Elysée-Palace. At first it questioned the authenticity of the video (which was done by the agency Associated Press). Then its veracity was confirmed.

Then the president himself spoke: He explained that the scene did not show a slap, but only an „innocent teasing“ by his consort.  

April 2025 : Criminal complaint against french minister for health

In april 2025, the ministers Yannick Neuder, Catherine Vautrin and Elisabeth Borne are targeted by a complaint of the lawyer Christelle Mazza, concerning „institutional mobbing“ of health care staff in France. The difficult working conditions in french hospitals are criticized since about 2012, and there have even been suicides of physicians and nurses at their workplace. French jurisdiction has already recognized the existence of „Institutional mobbing“ in an affair of the telecom company „Orange“ (previous name: France Télécom). The lawyer Christelle Mazza leans her action on this jurisprudence. As this time government ministers are targeted, a special court – the „Cour de Justice de la République (CJR)“ – must decide, if this criminal complaint will be accepted for a further investigation by a prosecutor. The decision of the CJR is awaited for the 14 june 2025.

23 February 2024 : Interpol-Most-Wanted Criminal Mohamed Amra arrested in Romania

Mohamed Amra (born in 1994), one of France’s most wanted criminals, was arrested in Bucarest (Romania). Amra had been freed during a brutal attack of a prisoner transport in may 2024. The assault was carried out by an armed commando at a toll gate close to Incarville in Normandy. Two prison guards were killed and three others severely injured during this operation.

At the moment of his prison escape, Amra had been incarcerated for several crimes and was awaiting an additional trial for murder and attempted murder. After his arrest in Bucarest by romanian police officers, the french prosecutor in charge of the suppression of organized crime (Junalco Authority) confirmed his formal identification. Simultaneously, ten presumed accomplices of Amra were arrested in France and in Spain.

9 february 2025 :  Former Minister Jack Lang aggressed during a demonstration against pedocriminality

« Pedophile, child rapist ! » These designations were shouted at Jack Lang, when he wanted to go to the Garnier Opera in Paris.

After the invectives, the former minister of 85 years was even pushed on the ground. The doctors in the hospital stated skin lesions, but a longer hospital stay was not necessary. The french police is leading an investigation to find the perpetrator of this aggression.

Jack Lang, the former minister of culture under president Mitterand, and current president of the institution « Institut du Monde Arabe », is criticized since many years for having signed in 1977 a petition of the author Gabriel Matzneff, that was in favor of sexual relations between adults and children.  

Today, Monsieur Lang has distanced himself from this petition, which he considers now as « a stupid thing ». Le Figaro quotes as well other famous co-signatories of that period : The writers Louis Aragon and Simone de Beauvoir, and the semiologist Roland Barthes.

23 december 2024 :  New Government presented by Prime Minister François Bayrou

François Bayrou, who replaced Michel Barnier as prime minister on 13 december 2024, revealed his new government.

Check the new ministers in the blog article about the French Government.  

3 octobre 2024 :  Covid : High profile medical professor Didier Raoult banned from work for two years

Professor Didier Raoult (*1952) is the former director of the infection disease department of the University Hospital Marseille (IHU Méditerranée Infection). During the Covid period, he got notorious for promoting the medicament Hydroxichloroquine as a therapy, and with critical statements on the efficiency of the Covid vaccine for the general population.

This led now to a ban to work as a physician by the french medical association (Ordre des Médecins). In an appeal procedure, the association accuses Prof. Raoult of having promoted « an insufficiently proven treatment », by acknowledging that he did not expose his patients to increased risks, as he respected the general posology. The medical association accuses him as well to have led a study at the Marseille Hospital without the approval of the public health authorities, and that this study is lacking « scientific accuracy ».

Professor Raoult, defended by the lawyer Fabrice di Vizio, reacted to the sanction with the following terms :

« This is pure communication. You ask yourself, if Salvador Dali is the person in charge. Because its surrealistic to ban a physician from medicine who is not practicing anymore since three years (…). That’s crazy. From the very beginning on, the known reality of Hydroxichloroquine is opposed to what this sanction has been given for. It’s necessary either to dissolve the « Conseil de l’Ordre », or to give it new directives. Its role is not to be the watchdog of governments, as it is the case today. » (Prof. Didier Raoult, october 2024)

The website researchgate lists Prof. Raoult with 1772 scientific publications and 98 133 quotations. According to a press release of the University Hospital Marseille from 2017, professor Raoult is the european researcher with the highest number of quotations in international scientific essays and articles about infectious diseases.    Source : Le Figaro 

12 september 2024 : Brigitte Macron : Victim of public defamation according to a first instance court decision

According to official french media, two french women (Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy) were sentenced for public defamation, after having spread certain allegations concerning the wife of the french president Emmanuel Macron. The court (Tribunal Correctionnel de Paris) decided, that the women have to pay a fine of 500 EUR, plus compensation for damages : 8000 EUR for Miss Macron, and 5000 EUR for her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The journal Nouvel Obs informs, that both women will make a legal appeal. Their lawyer François Danglehant is quoted speaking about an « operetta justice ». A key legal text in this affair is the french law concerning freedom of the press (Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse), whose article 29 gives the definition for defamation.

Sources : Le Monde and Nouvel Obs

5 september 2024 : Michel Barnier is the new prime minister of France

Michel Barnier (*1951) is the new « right wing » prime minister of France. The member of the party « Les Républicains » (and before of the party “Rassemblement pour la République”) has already been minister under the french presidents François Mitterand, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. His long career in politics covers  as well positions as EU Commissioner for Regional Policy (1999 – 2004) and for the Internal Market (2010 – 2014). Barnier was also the chief negotiator of the EU Commission concerning the Brexit of the United Kingdom.

Mister Barnier is nominated almost 2 months after the last parliamentary elections (see the details below in the timeline). He replaces Gabriel Attal (from the Macron party Renaissance) as prime minister.

The nomination was immediately criticised by members of the french « New Popular Front » (Nouveau Front Populaire, an alliance of several « left wing » parties such as La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party etc), which holds most seats in the french parliament (Assemblée Nationale). The politician Jean-Luc Melenchon (La France Insoumise) informed as well about an interesting historic fact : in 1981 Mister Barnier had voted against the depenalization of homosexuality for persons having reached the « sexual majority » that was applied for heterosexuals back then (15 years).

Source :  Le Figaro 

24 july – 8 september 2024 : Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Paris

The Olympic Games 2024 take place in Paris, from 24 july until 11 august 2024. The paralympic games will be from 28 august until 8 september 2024.

Click here to see all details, records and special moments of the 2024 Olympics.

7 July 2024: Parliamentary Elections in France

The elections took place in two rounds on 30 June and 7 July 2024. In total 22 parties were listed, in particular within various electoral coalitions.

The electoral coalition « Ensemble » contains the Renaissance-Party of president Emmanuel Macron.

The electoral coalition « Union de la Gauche/ Nouveau Front Populaire » is composed of various left wing parties : PS Parti Socialiste (Olivier Faure), LFI La France Insoumise (Jean-Luc Melenchon), EELV Europe Ecologie Les Verts (Marine Tondelier/ Green Party), PCF Parti Communiste (Fabien Roussel).

The RN Rassemblement National party leaders are Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen.

The party LR Les Républicains (party of former president Sarkozy) is in a complicated situation : its chairman Eric Ciotti works together with the party RN. A formal exclusion from the LR party, initiated by his colleagues, was not possible before the elections.  

The election results according to the french ministry of the interior:

Second Round : Electoral Participation : 66,63 %.  Abstention : 33,37 %.   |  First Round : Electoral Participation : 66,71 %. Abstention : 33,29 %.

The distribution of the seats in the parliament (577 seats in total, an absolute majority requires 289 seats) :  

Union de la Gauche =  178 /   Ensemble = 150 /  RN Rassemblement National = 125 / LR Les Républicains = 39 ;

UXD Union de l’Extrême Gauche = 17 / DVD Divers Droite = 27 / DVG Divers Gauche = 12 ;

REG Régionaliste = 9 / HOR Horizons (Edouard Philippe) = 6 / DVC Divers Centre = 6 / UDI Union des Démocrates et Indépendants (Hervé Marseille)  = 3 / DIV Divers = 1 / ECO Ecologistes = 1 / SOC Parti Socialiste = 2 / EXD Extrême Droite = 1 ;

Source : French Ministry of the Interior 

9 June 2024 : Results of the EU Parliament Elections in France  

Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party only got 15,2% of the votes. President Macron announced new parliamentary elections in France for the 30 June and the 7 July !

The estimations concerning the electoral result of the EU-Elections according to Le Figaro from 9 June at 8 p.m. :

Full voters participation : 52,5%

Party Rassemblement National (Jordan Bardella) = 32,4% /  Party Renaissance (Valérie Hayer) = 15,2%

Socialist Party (Raphaël Glucksmann) = 14,3%  / Party La France Insoumise (Manon Aubry) = 8,3%

Party Les Républicains (François-Xavier Bellamy) = 7%, Green Party EELV (Marie Toussaint) = 5,6%

Party Reconquête (Marion Maréchal) = 5,1%

Source : Le Figaro  

3 june 2024 : Kylian Mbappé joins Real Madrid for 5 years

According to the french journal « Le Figaro » Kylian Mbappé has signed a 5 year contract with the spanish soccer club. The french footballer (born 1998) has played for seven years with the french club PSG in Paris. In 2018 he won the FIFA World Cup. Mbappé leaves PSG without any transfer fee. His annual salary is reported to be 20 million EUR. Le Figaro quotes rumours that Mbappé allegedly got a 100 Million EUR signing fee too from Real Madrid. Source : Le Figaro

18 may 2024 : Riots in New Caledonia : 6 fatalities so far :

2 police officers and 4 civilians lost their life during the insurgency on the french territory situated 1400 km east of Australia. The trigger for the current events is the discussion of a constitutional reform concerning this overseas territory in the french parliament in Paris.  Source : Le Figaro and France TV Info.

16 May 2024 : Tiktok blocked by french government in New Caledonia

Le Monde informs, that the social network was blocked by the french authorities after the declaration of the state of emergency, following violent riots in the french overseas territory in the southwest Pacific. Source : Le Monde.

15 may 2024 : French mayor implicated in a drug affair.

Jamilah Habsaoui is the mayor of Avallon, a small town of 6000 inhabitants between Orléans and Dijon. 70 kg of Cannabis and 983 gram of Cocaine had been found in the politician’s house in april 2024. For about one month she had been in pre-trial custody in the prison of Dijon. The police led drug-related investigations against two brothers of the mayor already since october 2023. Miss Habsaoui, a former socialist party member, was mayor under the political label « Various leftwing ». She retracted from her position and announced to fully cooperate with the police. Miss Habsaoui, who works as an employee in a pharmacy in her civilian life, is supposed to be innocent until an eventual condemnation.  Source : Le Figaro.

24 april 2024 : Former prime minister of France François Fillon declared guilty for fictitious employment of his spouse.

Mister Fillon served as prime minister of France from 2007 to 2012, under president Nicolas Sarkozy. The affair concerning the employment status of his wife as his parliamentary assistant was firstly mentioned in the 2017 presidential election campaign, in which he ran as candidate. The highest french court (Cour de Cassation) has now definitively stipulated that Fillon broke the law. A new trial has to determine the exact sentence of the high profile politician. Source : Le Figaro

Share this article to allow your friends to learn what’s happening in France :

More interesting articles for you:

News of the European Union   

News from Germany    

News from Austria