Macron Smiles While Taking Photos with BLACKPINK... Criticized for "Playing with Celebs"

French President Personally Helps with Photo Shoot
Locals Say "Oppose Pension Reform"... 1.1 Million on Strike
"People Are Angry, But He Smiles Alone" Cold Reception

French President Emmanuel Macron is facing controversy in France for helping take photos of the group BLACKPINK and pop star Pharrell Williams. French citizens responded coldly, saying things like "The people are angry, but the president is meeting celebrities."

On the 25th (local time), Alexandre Arnault, Vice President of the luxury brand Tiffany, posted a photo showing BLACKPINK members and Pharrell Williams posing together.

French President Emmanuel Macron taking a photo of BLACKPINK and Pharrell Williams
[Photo by Alexandre Arnault Instagram]

The released photo shows BLACKPINK members and Pharrell Williams posing in what appears to be a backstage area behind the stage. BLACKPINK and Pharrell Williams each performed at a charity concert held at the Z?nith concert hall in Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris that day.

However, it was revealed that the person who took the photo was President Macron, which has drawn criticism from the French public. The event was a charity concert hosted by an organization chaired by Brigitte Macron, the president's wife.

From President Macron's perspective, attending his wife's event and building informal friendships with international celebrities was a positive, but public opinion in France is unfavorable.

French President Emmanuel Macron
Photo by APF Yonhap

This is because citizens are strongly opposing the government's ongoing pension reform plan. President Macron is pushing for a pension reform that requires "paying more and receiving benefits later." The reform plan aims to unify the pension system by 2025 and extend the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030. In response, over 1.1 million citizens staged strikes opposing the pension reform in major cities including Paris on the 19th.

Netizens commented on President Macron’s Instagram post, where he shared a photo with Pharrell Williams, saying things like "The president is smiling while the French people are angry over pension reform and inflation," "People are angry, but the president is meeting celebrities," and "Many workers will suffer because of your pension reform."

Labor unions opposing the French government's pension reform plan began a nationwide strike on the 19th (local time), and in the southern French city of Toulouse, people are marching while holding a banner that reads "Withdraw Pension Reform." [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]