French President Emmanuel Macron comes under fire for remarks deemed “insulting” toward Haitians, sparking widespread criticism and diplomatic tensions.
French President Emmanuel Macron has faced public criticism for making controversial remarks about Haiti’s leaders, which were recently captured on camera.
In a video recorded at the G20 meeting in Brazil last week and shared on social media, Macron was captured referring to Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council as “total morons” for their decision to dismiss former Caribbean nation Prime Minister Garry Conille.
“The prime minister was excellent, and I stood by him. Those people are complete fools; they should never have dismissed him,” Macron remarked in the clip while responding to someone.
In a statement posted on X late Sunday, Edgard Leblanc Fils, the council’s former president, remarked that Macron had made “insulting remarks” about an entire nation experiencing “dark times.”
Leblanc stated that Macron “was quick to intervene in an issue primarily concerning the Haitian authorities” by expressing his support for Conille and calling him “formidable.”
Conille, who had formerly held a senior position at the UN, was removed from his role after only six months due to internal disagreements within the council. Entrepreneur and former senate candidate Alix Didier Fils-Aime succeeded him.
In the clip, Macron is accused by an individual of being responsible for the situation in Haiti. He responds by stating that it was “the Haitians who killed Haiti by allowing drug trafficking to dominate.”
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Macron’s comments have caused widespread anger in Haiti, leading the country’s foreign ministry to call in France’s ambassador at the end of last week regarding what they termed as “unfriendly and inappropriate” remarks.
For centuries, many people in Haiti have held the country’s former colonial ruler responsible for its economic and political struggles. France demanded that Haiti pay a debt to gain recognition of its independence and compensate for losing its most productive colony. This financial burden was not settled until 1947.
A group of civil society organizations in Haiti has been urging Paris to return the severe reparations, which could amount to hundreds of billions of dollars according to various estimates.
Haiti has faced decades of political instability and violence, exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. During this period, a coalition of criminal gangs effectively ruled Haiti until earlier this year when a transitional council was formed to select the nation’s president, next prime minister, and Cabinet with the aim of easing the unrest.
Faced with increasing challenges and political discord, the council decided to remove Conille.
