Gabriel Attal invites himself to Radio France alongside Valérie Hayer, oppositions protest


Gabriel Attal was invited on Monday to the Radio France auditorium where several leading candidates in the European elections were debating, including that of the presidential camp Valérie Hayer, an intervention widely criticized by the oppositions who denounce a macho attitude.

“Hello, I’m sorry, I burst onto the scene,” the Prime Minister apologized upon arriving, who was coming from an interview on franceinfo in the same building. “I came first to see Valérie, we spend a lot of time together at the moment,” he added with a laugh. “I was told that there were a lot of young people” and “it was very important for me to come and say a little word to you, to come and encourage Valérie”, he added while the list of the majority is far behind in the polls by that of the extreme right.

Gabriel Attal first made an allusion to the ceremonies of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings: “what has allowed us to live free and in democracy all this time is the European Union”. Then he argued that to “act effectively for the climate and for the planet, this can only happen through Europe”.

“I am worried about Europe”

A journalist interrupts: “Valérie Hayer doesn’t have much time left as a result.” “Well there you go, it was a very short little message. But you know, we carry messages in common,” continues Gabriel Attal with a gesture of support on the shoulder of the Renaissance candidate.

“Are you worried, Mr. Attal? Is that why you’re not letting go of her (Valérie Hayer)?”, the journalist asks him. “I am worried about Europe,” replied the Prime Minister. “There is a risk that (the far right) has a group at European level capable of blocking the European Parliament,” he warns.

“Mansplaining”

“For us it is the candidates who campaign,” reacted just after François-Xavier Bellamy, head of the Republican list. “We saw the new joker ‘I’m calling a friend’ which seems to be used more and more by the majority candidate,” he snapped. “Obviously people around her have the impression that they are campaigning better than her (…) There is a bit of a macho side to this affair.”

The France Insoumise candidate Manon Aubry associated this intervention with “mansplaining”, a term which defines an explanation given by a man to a woman in a paternalistic or condescending tone. “Is it too much to ask to stop making women invisible in this election?” asked Ecologist boss Marine Tondelier on X.





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