Video: ‘You call me Mr President’, Macron tells teen
French president lays into cheeky schoolboy who called him by his first name

French President Emmanuel Macron admonished a schoolboy who called him by his first name, telling the teen: “You call me Mr President.”
The president was speaking to schoolchildren gathered to watch an official ceremony paying tribute to the French Resistance when an unnamed adolescent in the crowd greeted him with “How’s it going, Manu?”
Instead of brushing past the cheeky comment with a fake smile, Macron paused to give the teen a good telling off.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“You call me Mr President or sir,” he said. “You are here at an official ceremony, you behave yourself,” he continued, to the squirming boy’s discomfort.
“Yes, Mr President,” the chastised youngster replied.
For good measure, Macron also told him off for humming socialist anthem The Internationale rather than the French national anthem, the Marseillaise.
“The day you want a revolution, first you have to learn to get an education and feed yourself, okay?” he said. “And then you can start lecturing other people.”
Since taking office, Macron has frequently come under fire in the French press for what are seen as delusions of grandeur out of place in the cradle of republicanism. Satirical cartoons frequently compare him to Napoleon or Caesar.
In one notorious post-election interview, Macron said his predecessor, Francois Hollande, had failed to remain aloof and “Jupiter-like” while in office - comments interpreted by many as Macron seeing himself as a godlike ruler.
Despite subsequent attempts to distance himself from the comments, the Jupiter comparison has continued to haunt Macron, Politico reports.
Other gaffes include “referring to ‘illiterate’ abattoir workers, ‘alcoholic’ laid-off workers or the ‘poor people’ who travel on buses”, says French radio station RFI.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Law firms: Caving to White House pressure
Feature Trump targets major law firms tied to his past investigations
By The Week US Published
-
Venezuelan deportees: Locked up for tattoos?
Feature A former pro soccer player was deported after U.S. authorities claimed his tattoo proved he belonged to a Venezuelan gang
By The Week US Published
-
Saving the post office
Feature The U.S. Postal Service is facing mounting losses and growing calls for privatization. Can it survive?
By The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published