French President Emmanuel Macron came under attack from the opposition on Thursday after describing his countrymen as “Gauls who are resistant to change” during a trip to Denmark. The remark echoed previous comments by Macron saying the French “hate reforms” and that the country is “unreformable”. The 40-year-old former investment banker is trying to push through his own version of Denmark’s “flexi-curity” model of flexibility and security by loosening French labor law and reforming the social security system. ADVERTISEMENTNepotism rowBut the president was quick to respond while in Finland where he is on the second leg of his Scandinavian trip. “You need to step back from the controversy and social media,” Macron told reporters, describing his remarks as “a light-hearted moment”.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 30, 2018 11:03 UTC