Protesters raise stolen portraits of Macron upside-down at anti-G7 demo

Record ID: 1428530

  • Title: Protesters raise stolen portraits of Macron upside-down at anti-G7 demo
  • Date: 25th August 2019
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING, HOLDING UPSIDE-DOWN MACRON PORTRAITS
  • Embargoed: 8th September 2019 12:23
  • Keywords: G7 counter-summit G7 protests Emmanuel Macron march Bayonne upside-down portraits
  • Location: BAYONNE, FRANCE
  • City: BAYONNE, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: G7,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA002ATPTZYF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Protesters marched through the streets of Bayonne on Sunday (August 25) carrying official portraits of French President Emmanuel Macron, which were stolen from town halls around France.
    The protest is the finale of months of civil disobedience which saw protesters steal the portraits with the aim of carrying them upside-down at the G7 summit, in defiance rather than respect of Macron's politics and the image he is trying to present to world leaders at the summit in neighbouring Biarritz.
    Several hundred protesters marched carrying paper packages of portraits, some the stolen ones of Macron, others carrying slogans such as 'Where is Macron when it comes to climate change and social justice'.
    One of the organisers will face trial in September for stealing one of the portraits and could face five years in prison and a 75,000 euro fine, Cecile Marchand told Reuters TV. Two more face trials in Lyon and Orleans.
    The movement, which was formed under the slogan 'Take Down Macron' (Dechirons Macron), has stolen 125 portraits to match the 125 days it took France to overtake its carbon footprint this year they said. The stolen portraits were handed on and hidden before making their appearance on the streets at the summit as Macron met with leaders for a summit that will likely expose deep rifts over a clutch of issues such as global trade, climate change and taxing big tech.
    Macron set an agenda for the group - France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - that included the defense of democracy, gender equality, education and the environment. He invited Asian, African and Latin American leaders to join them for a global push on these issues.
    (Production: Erol Dogrudogan, Ardee Napolitano, Claire Watson)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains photographs or artwork. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing this clip.
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