France: Macron takes off luxury watch on television while talking about pension reforms, irks protesters
Macron removes luxury watch during television interview
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, came under fire for taking off an expensive watch during a TV interview about pension reforms.He was shown briefly slipping his hands under the table and seemingly taking off his watch during a prime-time national television show in which he vowed to move forward with plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64, further infuriating his critics.
The opposition politicians termed him president of the rich who "has never lived up to his name so well," juxtaposing the move with his claims in the interview about minimum wage earners "who have never had so much purchasing power."
TheElysee Palace claimsthat Macron didnot removethe watch“in order to hide it– but because it was clinking against the table,” as reported by the Independent.
Disclaimer:WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media
“The noise is clearly audible only a few seconds before the beginning of the video shared on social media,” the presidential palace said in a widely reported statement, which chimes with the audio in the viral clip.
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About 10 minutes into the interview, Macron put his wrists on the table and a clunk was audible. Then he put his hands under the desk. When they came out, his left wrist's watch was gone.
The manoeuvre caught the eyes of the French audienceand the clip has since gone viral.
The watch's exact worth is unclear. It was reportedly made by the French company Bell & Ross and cost between €1,600 (US$1,725)and €2,400 (US$2,587), according to French media.
Millions of people have protested against Macron's reforms. Ifop reported last week that Macron's approval rating has dropped to just 28 per cent, the lowest since the peak of the Yellow Vest protests in 2018.
(With inputs from agencies)
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