The French President called on the EU to throw its weight behind Belarusians demanding that their liberties be respected – but the online community was quick to remind him of fellow Frenchmen rallying for the same cause at home.
Emmanuel Macron tweeted his support for the growing anti-government sentiment in Belarus, writing on Sunday that Brussels must continue “to mobilize alongside the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who demonstrate peacefully for the respect of their rights, their freedom and their sovereignty.”
The demonstrations that caught Macron’s eye have been building since the controversial presidential vote in Belarus, that saw the sitting President Alexander Lukashenko being re-elected for a sixth term. The outcome was rejected by the opposition, who insisted that the vote was rigged.
Notably, the French President’s appeal didn’t receive an overly positive response in the Francophone realm of Twitter. He took quite a bit of heat online for prioritizing grievances of Belarusians over those of the French.
“Haven’t you noticed that in France people also march for the respect of their rights?” one asked.
Another used the President’s language, reminding that “the Yellow Vests demonstrated, and still demonstrate peacefully today for the same demands, before you had them knocked down and clubbed.”
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