17.08.2026 01:30
While France battles wildfires, President Emmanuel Macron's appearance on a jet ski during his vacation has sparked debate in the country. The photo, featured on the cover of Paris Match, drew sharp criticism from opposition politicians, reviving accusations that Macron is "out of touch with the crisis the country is facing."
While efforts to combat forest fires continue in various regions of France, the publication of images of President Emmanuel Macron riding a jet ski during his vacation has sparked controversy in the country. The photograph, featured on the cover of Paris Match magazine, drew harsh reactions from Macron's opponents.
COUNTRY IN FLAMES
It has emerged that Macron was vacationing at the Fort de Brégançon presidential residence on the Mediterranean coast during days when heatwaves and forest fires were impacting France.
In the photographs published by Paris Match, Macron was seen using a jet ski. The magazine reported that the President continued his vacation with a schedule combining sports and work.
The placement of the photograph of Macron on a jet ski on the magazine's cover particularly drew the ire of the opposition.
OPPOSITION ANGERED
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure criticized the images of Macron, assessing the President's appearance on a jet ski during a period when the country is battling heat and fires as a "wrong message."
Ecologist lawmaker Alexis Corbière also harshly criticized the photograph, arguing that Macron's image on a jet ski is incompatible with the country's ecological and social crisis.
"HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE FIRE TRUCK"
Communist senator Pierre Ouzoulias found the images "inappropriate." Ouzoulias argued that during a period when fires continue in France, Macron should have been alongside firefighters rather than on a jet ski.
MACRON'S TEAM: PHOTOS TAKEN WITHOUT PERMISSION
From Macron's inner circle, it was stated that the photographs were not a shoot specially authorized by the presidency. In its report, Paris Match stated that the President continued his phone calls during his vacation, and also engaged in running, boxing, and other water sports.
As the controversy grew in France following the publication of the photographs, the focus of criticism was the timing of the President's vacation images while the country battles fires.