Macron booed at Rugby World Cup opening ceremony

French President Emmanuel Macron received a hostile reception at the opening of the Rugby World Cup on Friday evening, as the crowd booed, whistled, and jeered during his address.

The hisses began as Macron walked onto the pitch at the Stade de France in Paris and got louder when he began his speech, which was barely audible. 

According to AFP, there was a similar reaction when the president appeared on TV screens in special fan zones set up in Paris and Marseille. 

“King Macron has been booed by the French people! We are never going to leave him alone!” Manuel Bompard, a left-wing member of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, tweeted.

Macron’s popularity has declined after the implementation of highly unpopular pension reforms, which gradually increase the retirement age to 67. The move sparked widespread protests earlier this year, with the political opposition calling for a referendum. In March, Macron used a controversial Article of the French Constitution to enact the reforms, bypassing the parliament. His move intensified protests and calls for his resignation.

“The people have not forgotten the insults and the pension reform. He had the welcome he deserved,” Bastien Lachaud, an MP from the leftist La France Insoumise party, said. Stephanie Galzy, an MP from the right-wing National Rally, called the booing “a symbol.”

The opening ceremony preceded a match between France and New Zealand, which the French team won 27-13. 

Supporters of the president criticized the fans over their reaction, with Mathie Lefevre, an MP from the ruling Renaissance party, saying, “to boo the president of the republic is to boo France.”