Thursday night, while the French President Emanuel Macron was about to go into a conference, a French citizen called on him from across the street. He insisted that the president responds, saying that he is “a French citizen who wanted to speak to the president.”
At that, Macron crossed the street and went towards the man. (You got to love how these presidents of democratic countries abide by their citizens!)
The French man turned out to be a war reporter journalist, a very upset one who was previously seen in the Lebanese diaspora protests in France. He was quick to express his anger with Macron and France’s positions towards the Lebanese people and the revolution.
The main reason why this man decided to confront his president was that the Elysee has recently given instructions to AFP not to publish Macron’s statement regarding the Lebanese revolution.
According to the journalist, he had met the president face to face in the city of Amiens, the same day Lebanon was celebrating its 76th Independence Day.
Back then, to the journalist’s question about his opinion on the Lebanese revolution, Macron had responded that France will celebrate soon the centenary of the Great Lebanon of 1920, created by the French mandate, insisting repeatedly: “which is very important.”
The answers given by Macron to the journalist in regards to his position towards the Lebanese people and their revolution were then blocked by orders from L’Elysee; an act that the French journalist took as a support to the Lebanese government against the Lebanese people.
He expressed his angry arguments about it out loud, deeming odd France’s positions towards the Lebanese uprising revolt, which he put at the account of Macron’s “good friendship” with Saad Hariri.
Those actions, according to him, support a “dictatorial regime” in Lebanon that gave orders to shoot at civilians, resulting in “500 hundred Lebanese protesters wounded.”
He went on accusing France to be dictatorial for supporting a “dictatorial regime” and saying repeatedly that he is outraged and so are the Lebanese people.
The passionate journalist, who revealed to be a French-Armenian, held on tight to Macron’s hand to deter him from walking away and asked him if he is willing to meet the Lebanese people in France.
As Macron responded that he always meets with the Lebanese, the eager journalist retorted, “The Lebanese people, not the officials, the Lebanese people!”
The French president’s response was vague as he finally managed to get out of the embarrassing situation.
The journalist, who would probably soon get his face in one (or many) of the Lebanese Revolution arts in appreciation of his standing so passionately with the Lebanese people, is named Leo Nicolian.
He is the founder of the Council of Coordination of the Lebanese in France, and he proudly wears the Thawra armband.
He has been actively participating in the Lebanese protests in France and appearing on TV talk shows to carry the voice of the Lebanese revolution to a wide audience.
Here is the video of his confrontation with President Macron in two parts:
It continues below:
