FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he delivers a speech during a press conference on France assuming EU presidency, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron has provoked outcries in parliament and shrill protests from election rivals by using a vulgarity to describe his strategy for pressuring vaccine refusers to get coronavirus jabs. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Virus Outbreak France Macron
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has provoked outcries in parliament and shrill protests from election rivals by using a vulgarity to describe his strategy for pressuring vaccine refusers to get coronavirus jabs. Macron used the French word “emmerder,” which is rooted in the French word for “crap” and means to rile or to bug.
He spoke in an interview published by French newspaper Le Parisien on Tuesday night, as lawmakers debated new measures that would allow only vaccinated individuals to enjoy leisure activities like eating out. Macron said, “The unvaccinated, I really want to bug them.”
His use of earthy language immediately complicated the already difficult passage in parliament of the government’s planned new vaccine pass.
According to health statistics, France has had over 10.4 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 122,000 deaths during the viral pandemic. As of Jan. 4th, cases have soared to over 264,000, the most France has seen during the pandemic.
