Yesterday French President Emmanuel Macron was meeting crowds in Northern France, commemorating Gen. Charles De Gaulle's call for popular resistance during World War II.
Among the people gathered was an unidentified teen, who addressed Macron informally, saying, "Ca va Manu?" — "How's it going, Manu?"
“No, you can’t do that, no, no, no, no,” Macron told the boy, who apologized (using the president's title) quickly after.
"You call me Mr. President or Sir," the 40-year-old president continued, to the abashed teenager.
"You can't just behave like that. You can act like a clown, but today it's the 'Marseillaise' and the 'Partisans' Song' we're singing.
"You need to do things the right way. Even if you want to lead a revolution one day, you've first got to earn a diploma and learn how to put food on the table," he said.
Macron's official Twitter account also put out a version of the exchange, which showed him telling off the teen.
Le respect, c’est le minimum dans la République – surtout un 18 juin, surtout en présence des compagnons de la Libération. Mais cela n’empêche pas d’avoir une conversation détendue – regardez jusqu’au bout. https://t.co/CWtPDAALhK
People thought that the teenager was pretty great.
But there was also a lot of criticism about the French president's decision to post the video about telling off the kid.
"Humiliating a 15-year-old kid in front of millions, just to cater to right-wing voters, that’s also Macronism."
People were reminded of a speech Macron gave earlier this year, when he told students at George Washington University in the US that they didn't have to follow the rules.
One reporter tweeted that the teen — whom she didn't name — was staying away from school as the kids there were teasing him after the incident.
Basically, most people thought that although the teenager was a bit out of line speaking to the president like that, Macron should not have tweeted the video.
