Macron slammed over 'racist' comment on hospital woes

This follows controversy over angry remark he made during visit to cyclone-hit Mayotte

PARIS - France's President Emmanuel Macron faced accusations of racism on Dec 20 over an alleged comment on problems in hospitals, which his office strongly denied he made, adding to controversy over an angry remark during a visit to an Indian Ocean territory ravaged by a cyclone.

With the Le Monde daily printing a sequence of articles about the behind-the-scenes atmosphere at the Elysee, Mr Macron was also accused of sexist remarks about women opposition leaders and a homophobic quip about a former prime minister he appointed himself.

Mr Macron said the "problem with emergency care in this country is that it's filled with people called Mamadou", during a discussion in 2023 in front of his then Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, according to an article in Le Monde on Dec 18.

Mamadou is a name popular among men originating from Muslim ethnic groups in West Africa.

"The Elysee strongly denies these reported remarks, which were not subjected to any verification by the presidency before publication," an official in the presidency said.

One of the senior Le Monde reporters behind the story, Ms Ivanne Trippenbach, wrote on social media platform X: "Le Monde stands by all of its information."