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Macron mocked for jet ski photos taken while wildfires rage across France

Mr Macron, 48, was heavily criticised after the photos appeared on the front page of Paris Match

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Emmanuel Macron has been slammed by his opposition over pictures of the French president using a jet ski while wildfires tear through his country. Picture: Getty

By Chay Quinn

Emmanuel Macron has been slammed by his opposition over pictures of the French president using a jet ski while wildfires tear through his country.

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Mr Macron, 48, was heavily criticised after the photos appeared on the front page of Paris Match.

Communist senator Pierre Ouzoulias told Europe 1 that Mr Macron was being “indecent”, adding: “Personally, I would have preferred to see him in a fire truck, helping firefighters put out the blaze. That is where he belonged.”

Leftist Alexis Corbière took aim at the president's sunglasses and the “very polluting watercraft” being used at a French Riviera resort.

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Chateauvert, France. 10th Aug, 2026. The hills covered with pine and oak trees that were burned during the Gros Bessillon fire, along Departmental Road D554, in Chateauvert, France, on August 10, 2026.
Communist senator Pierre Ouzoulias told Europe 1 said Mr Macron was being “indecent”, adding: “Personally, I would have preferred to see him in a fire truck, helping firefighters put out the blaze. That is where he belonged.”. Picture: Alamy

Mr Corbière said: “This stage-managed image speaks volumes about the absolute megalomania of his character, and his complete lack of understanding of the ecological, social and democratic crisis.”

The photos were published on the same day that a court dealt a blow to Macron's plan to ban social media for under-15s.

It said: “By prohibiting minors under the age of 15 from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even ‌an adult, ‌to ⁠prove their age before accessing them.

“By failing to specify the ⁠conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements.”

In response, Mr Macron ordered Sebastien Lecornu, his prime minister, to revise the laws.

Mr Macron will end his time as French president in May 2027, having served the maximum two terms in office.