Residents of Mayotte expressed outrage at French President Emmanuel Macron over his response to the situation on the island, which was hit by a devastating hurricane.
Report informs via Euronews that during his two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago to assess the damage and offer support, Macron engaged in verbal altercations with locals.
Crowds booed the French president, expressing dissatisfaction with the measures taken by Paris to assist those affected. Among the gathered residents, calls for Macron's resignation and demands for additional aid were heard.
Macron's statements made in Mayotte also sparked a negative reaction in mainland France.
"Macron humiliated the relatives of thousands of victims," wrote Alma Dufour, a deputy from the far-left party La France Insoumise, on the social network X.
Sandrine Rousseau, a deputy of the French parliament from the Green Party, said in an interview with France 2, "We have the largest human catastrophe since World War II, and we are putting on a Macron show."
Hurricane Chido hit the island of Mayotte on December 14, with wind gusts exceeding 220 km/h. According to Météo-France, Chido was the most powerful hurricane on the island in the last 90 years. Currently, there are confirmed reports of 31 deaths and over 1,400 injured. The French Ministry of the Interior notes that 70% of Mayotte's population was affected by the hurricane.
Macron promised to create a fund to support uninsured residents, although the amount is yet unknown. French insurers have preliminarily estimated the damage from Hurricane Chido at €650-800 million, which may be revised later.