Women and children in tears, shocked at having had to flee their country in the face of the Russian offensive, and most often worried about a big brother or a father who stayed in the country to fight. Poignant testimonies, heavy atmosphere… the emotion was palpable during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to a center welcoming Ukrainian refugees, in Maine-et-Loire, on Tuesday March 15. Among the 63 people who arrived on Friday March 11 in this establishment in the town of La Pommeraye, in the suburbs of Angers, most crossed Poland, then Germany, before being welcomed in France.
Alongside her child, a woman recounts her journey to the Head of State. Her husband and mother remained in Ukraine. ” You have news ? »asks Mr. Macron. “No, I worry a lot about them”, she responds, crying. In the process, another woman explains to him ” to fear “ for his parents and his sister, who still live in kyiv, about to be surrounded by the Russian army. After trying to console them, as best he could, the President of the Republic finds himself confronted with the story of three little boys. “My father is in kyiv, he is fighting”said one, aged 6, before bursting into tears, explaining that he had no news of him. “Your father is fighting for your country to be free. We are going to do everything to stop this war.”tries to reassure him Mr. Macron, accompanied by ministers Gérald Darmanin (interior) and Marlène Schiappa (citizenship).
Radical change of tone
Twenty-six days before the first round of the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron displays an empathetic profile in the face of these victims of the invasion of their country. “These women and men are fleeing across Europe. Our duty is to be able to welcome them, protect them, in the best possible conditions.”, he said to the press. Before reaffirming that France “take his part”.
While more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24, 15,000 refugees have arrived in France, so far. The government estimates that it can accommodate at least 100,000. “We have the ability and the duty. This fraternity is also our collective dignity”insisted Mr. Macron, paying tribute in particular to the associations and to “the very concrete solidarity of the French”.
The opportunity, for the one who is a candidate for his re-election, to concretely put himself in the costume of “protective president”, which he has been trying to put on since the start of this war. And to display a humanist profile, at the end of a five-year term where the head of state has oscillated between firmness and openness about the reception of foreigners. During his speech on August 16 devoted to the Afghan crisis, he had, for example, been strongly criticized by the left for having declared that France, in addition to its duty to welcome asylum seekers, will have to “protect against irregular migratory flows”. Today, the change in tone is radical. “The president must embody the humanitarian dimension of the conflictexplains an adviser to the tenant of the Elysée. He can’t just make phone calls to Putin. »
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