Eric Zemmour aiming a gun at the press. / Photo by Online Community Capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently embroiled in rumors after a photo surfaced of him hugging a 20-something aide on the beach, the prominent French presidential candidate ?ric Zemmour is now causing controversy for jokingly pointing a gun at reporters.
According to foreign media including the UK Daily Mail on the 20th (local time), ?ric Zemmour (63), a far-right French presidential candidate, made this joke while attending the International Defense Industry Exhibition held in Paris that morning.
While examining a high-precision sniper rifle, Zemmour suddenly turned around and aimed the gun at the press. He said, "Is this funny? Step back," and "Don’t laugh, put your hands up." When the reporters expressed displeasure and questioned his intentions, he replied, "It’s neither a political message nor a threat," then placed the rifle back on the display stand.
Following Zemmour’s behavior, the French political sphere expressed outrage. Marl?ne Schiappa, France’s Secretary of State for Citizenship at the Ministry of the Interior, said, "It’s not funny, it’s terrible. Especially since Zemmour has seriously spoken about press suppression," adding, "Freedom of the press in a democracy is no joke. It must not be threatened."
In response, Zemmour retorted, "Schiappa is an idiot," and accused her of "trying to stir up a bizarre controversy."
Hugues Renson, Vice President of the French National Assembly from La R?publique En Marche (LRM), also criticized, calling it "unprecedented" and saying, "Politics is not done this way."
Meanwhile, Zemmour was recently embroiled in rumors involving his 35-years-younger aide, Sarah Knafo. A French weekly magazine last month exposed photos of Zemmour enjoying a secret rendezvous with the 20-something female aide on a beach in southern France. Zemmour is a married man with a wife and three children.
Despite this, on the 6th, Zemmour garnered 17% support in a local French presidential candidate poll, surpassing Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), and closely trailing President Emmanuel Macron (24%).
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