French politicians criticise Macron over holiday photos as wildfires continue

PARIS, France — PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has drawn criticism from opposition politicians after photographs of him on summer holiday were published while forest fires and a heatwave continue across the country. Images released by Paris Match showed the 47-year-old Macron riding a jet ski and stepping onto a flyboard, alongside his 73-year-old wife Brigitte Macron in shorts, a T-shirt, hat and sunglasses. The photographs were taken at the presidential retreat of Bregançon, according to the magazine. Senator Pierre Ouzoulias told Europe 1 radio that Macron's behaviour was inappropriate and said he would have preferred to see him taking part in firefighting efforts. Alexis Corbière, a lawmaker from the left-wing La France Insoumise party, also attacked the images, criticising Macron's muscles, sunglasses and what he called a "very dirty water vehicle." Corbière said the photographs reflected Macron's "arrogance and inability to understand the environmental, social and democratic crisis." Opponents have previously labelled Macron, a former Rothschild investment banker, the "president of the rich" and, after the chief deity of Roman mythology, "Jupiter." No further details were immediately available on the scale of the ongoing wildfires or the government's response.