Nils Passedat, city councilor of Lavaurette, a small town in Tarn-et-Garonne, says he is “outraged” by the presidential remarks on his “desire to piss off the unvaccinated”. With the introduction of the vaccine pass, he also criticizes a “discriminatory” policy between French people.
The words did not get through. After the words of Emmanuel Macron held in front of a handful of readers of the Parisian with regard to the unvaccinated, which the President wishes “Piss off”, Nils Passedat, elected in 2020 mayor of Lavaurette, a town of 230 inhabitants of Tarn-et-Garonne, returned the official portrait of the head of state to the prefecture. A symbolic and political gesture to denounce the presidential word, “very bad” received in this rural territory in the south of France.
Why did you decide to restore the official portrait of Emmanuel Macron?
Simply because I believe that such remarks in the mouth of the Head of State insult both part of the French, who are targeted by these remarks, and on the other hand the presidential office. Until now, we had his portrait displayed in the municipal council chamber, we fully respected both the person and the function. Now we still respect the function, but no longer the person.
Moreover, these citizens [non vaccinés] have the right to all their citizenship. But the policy towards them becomes that of harassment or pissing off. I find that quite curious. I believe that in the mouth of the Head of State, who is speaking officially, there are words that have no place.
What do you want to convey as a message with this symbolic gesture?
This idea of pissing off people is the head of state who says it. It’s not Emmanuel Macron, around a drink with friends. This means that we are no longer on a health policy: we are entering the field of a discriminatory policy, using means that we do not know. So I ask the prefect this question: how will she implement this new policy? Which side will she side with, in her soul and conscience, if she considers it reasonable that discriminating against part of the French is part of the work of senior officials. The idea behind these words is to harass. I believe that we do not have to harass part of the population.
Besides, is it more interesting to throw doses to the right and to the left to those who do not need them, or to recruit the doctors and nurses who are lacking? This is a real question. For forty years, we have gained 10 million inhabitants and we have lost 46,000 hospital jobs. And with this pass, we had to lose health personnel who left the profession, and who will not return. That, Olivier Véran [le ministre de la Santé] will never want to say it.
You are the mayor of a small town of just over 200 inhabitants, in a rural department. How were Emmanuel Macron’s words received?
Very bad. There are always people who find that great, because the media make it seem so much that it is all the fault of this handful of unvaccinated people that they end up believing it. How can they do otherwise? Most of them watch the news, don’t read, don’t get informed. They are subject to information. But of all the people I have met since Wednesday, with whom I started a conversation, all were offended and outraged by this kind of talk.