French President Emmanuel Macron Told Mayotte’s Residents They’d Be "10,000 Times Worse Without France”
"If it wasn't for France, you would be in way deeper shit," Macron said.
French president Emmanuel Macron has been called out for telling residents in the French overseas territory Mayotte in the aftermath of a devastating cyclone that they would be "10,000 times worse without France."
On Dec. 14, Cyclone Chido, the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte at least 90 years, made landfall on the island, which lies between Madagascar and Mozambique, killing at least 35 people.
Entire neighborhoods were flattened to the ground, with widespread destruction to infrastructure and housing, particularly in densely populated areas where many residents live in makeshift metal shacks in large slums.
Almost a week after Chido, the death toll in Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory, remains unclear as many areas are still unreachable and the island also hosts a significant number of undocumented migrants.
Authorities said they believe the death toll could still rise and be in the hundreds or even thousands.
Macron visited Mayotte on Thursday, Dec. 19, when he was booed and heckled by residents who were still experiencing water shortages.
In a video captured by French outlet Brut, a Mahoran woman is seen accusing Macron of "coming to see us to say that everything is all right when everything is going bad," according to Politico.
“You’ve lived something terrible, everyone’s fighting, regardless of their skin color,” Macron was then seen telling the crowd.
“Don’t pit people against each other… Because you’re happy to be part of France. Because if it wasn’t France, I can tell you that you’d be screwed 10,000 times worse," he said.
Macron's comments have drawn widespread criticism.
On Thursday night, Macron said he was extending his trip to a second day as "a mark of respect and consideration".
“I decided to sleep here because I considered that, given what the population is going through, [leaving the same day could have] installed the idea that we come, we look, we leave," he said.
France has dispatched rescue workers and medical personnel from the mainland and the nearby French territory of Réunion to assist in search and rescue operations, according to RFI.
The French Interior Ministry said it had delivered 31 tons of food and 108 tons of water in emergency aid by air and sea since the cyclone, with an additional 1.6 million liters of water expected on Monday, AFP reported.
Cyclone Chido also killed at least 73 people in northern Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
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