Top French general quits
over unprecedented row
with President Macron
Emmanuel Macron pictured alongside General Pierre De Villiers,
who resigned yesterday in a public row with the President
- General Pierre De Villiers quit in row
- over £750million of military cuts
- The French president has accused him of 'washing dirty
- linen in public'
- General said he could no longer 'guarantee the protection
- of French people'
France's most senior military officer resigned yesterday following
over £750m-worth of military cuts.
General Pierre De Villiers, 61, even posted comments on
Facebook about it at one stage, prompting 39-year-old Mr Macron
to accuse him of ‘washing dirty linen in public.’
In turn, the General said savage reductions in budgets meant
he could no longer ‘guarantee the protection of France
He handed in his resignation on Wednesday morning.
Mr Macron’s biggest political crisis to date highlights the
problems he is having as he tries to make £53bn-worth of EU
austerity savings while also keeping an election pledge to cut taxes.
Last week, the President – who is also Commander in
Chief of France’s armed forces – said he wanted to cut the 2017
defence budget to help bring his country’s deficit below the
EU limit of three per cent of gross domestic product.
This prompted General de Villiers to tell a parliamentary
committee: ‘I may be stupid, but I know when I’m being had.’
Just days ago the pair were pictured side-by-side during
France's Bastille Day celebrations
The General then said on his Facebook account that ‘no one
deserves to be followed blindly’. This is despite the
long-respected convention that military leaders do not take on
politicians in public rows. In an address to the Army on
Bastille Day last Friday, after watching the annual military
parade in Paris with American President Donald Trump,
Mr Macron said: ‘I am your boss. For me it is undignified to
wash dirty linen in public..I am your leader..I’m under no
pressure to comment.’ Mr Macron then said on Sunday that
General de Villiers needed to ‘respect the chain of command’
and keep his opinions to himself. But even members of
Mr Macron’s own En Marche! (On the Move) party
have criticised the cuts.
Jacques Bridey, chairman of the parliamentary defence
committee said they would cause a huge drop in morale
‘while our men risk their lives every day.’
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