Emmanuel Macron shows off his boxing skills, sparking mixed reactions in France

CNN
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Pictures of the French President Emmanuel Macron The punching bag caused amusement, astonishment and consternation in the country.

Posted on Instagram The black-and-white photos, taken by his official photographer Soazig de la Moissonnière, show Macron exercising while wearing a dark T-shirt and tight gloves.

One photo shows the president gritting his teeth as his right hand touches the bag, and the other shows him looking intensely focused between punches.

Commentators linked the images to Macron's increasingly hardline stance against Moscow. In recent weeks, Macron reiterated the possibility of sending Western forces to Kiev, warning of European security risks if Russia wins in Ukraine.

While others made comparisons with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is known for posting pictures of himself practicing sports such as judo and horse riding.

“Look, he is doing a lot in the field of rearmament now. He is spreading images like Putin and other political leaders who basically want to take a masculine approach,” said Yannick Jadot, a senator for the European Environment Les Verts (EELV) party. in politics”. interview With France 2 channel

Gadot criticized Macron for not moving to end the conflict in Gaza, which he described as a “massacre.”

Sandrine Rousseau, a member of parliament for EELV, criticized the president for the macho image shown in the photos.

“These viral symbols have been used to the point of overdose. What a misery of politics. What a defeat for progressivism. What a poverty of political communication,” Rousseau wrote in his book mail On X.

In an article for the left-wing newspaper Liberation, commentator Jonathan Boucher-Petersen described the president as “Rocky Macron” and said the call he chose was “absolutely appalling.”

He added: “What is certain is that this image contributes to making Emmanuel Macron's geopolitical position childish.”

Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper, Philippe Moreau Chevrolet, a political communication expert and professor at Sciences Po University in Paris, said.

“The message is addressed to Vladimir Putin,” he said, explaining that the president wants to show that he is “in the fight.”