Emmanuel Macron has once again demonstrated the distance between his position on migration matters and that of the average French voter.
Speaking on Monday, the president, who is already under fire for failing to deport foreign criminals, criticised the “madness of the French system” in relation to incoming migrant doctors—in this case, specifically from Algeria.
He attacked those who insist foreign doctors must take French exams as “lunatics,” and said their only intention is “just to annoy everyone”—rather than, say, to ensure high-quality healthcare.
Marine Le Pen quickly bashed Macron’s “indignation” over foreign doctors as “utterly unworthy,” stressing:
It is entirely natural that in our country, we require foreign doctors to take an exam, just like French doctors, in order to ensure that the care provided is of the highest possible quality.
Je trouve l'indignation d'Emmanuel Macron sur les médecins étrangers, indigne.
Il est tout à fait naturel que dans notre pays, nous fassions passer aux médecins étrangers un examen, au même titre qu'aux médecins français, afin d'être certains que les soins délivrés soient de la… pic.twitter.com/0KWAwVypZs
The president’s comments are understood to have been leveled especially against former interior minister and current leader of the Republicans (LR) Bruno Retailleau, who advocates for a harder line towards Algiers.
Retailleau hit back that Macron’s “false pretext is merely intended to conceal the real problems.”
With the Algerian regime, a policy of good intentions is doomed to failure, and no historical grievance gives its leaders the right to humiliate and insult France.
Confronting the real problems, having the courage to be firm, so that the French are protected and France is respected: that is the role of a President of the Republic.
LR MEP François-Xavier Bellamy agreed that Macron is pointing the “madman” finger in the wrong direction, but celebrated that there is, at least, just “less than a year left to endure before France can once again simply enforce its word and protect its citizens.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
