France election: Macron laughs off gay affair rumours

[Deleted]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38892409

French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has dismissed lurid online rumours that he had a gay affair.

Mr Macron, a 39-year-old married to his former high-school teacher who is 20 years his senior, told supporters his wife Brigitte "shares my whole life".

Any reports of a double life were not about him but his "hologram", he joked.

The claims emerged on a Russian-owned website as the centrist nudged ahead of a key rival in polls, less than three months before the presidential vote.

Addressing a rally in Paris on Monday, Mr Macron said the claims of a secret life were "first and foremost unpleasant for Brigitte".

"She shares my whole life from morning till night and she wonders how I could physically do it!" he said.

"If in dinner-party chatter, or in forwarded emails, you're told that I have a double life," he added, "it's my hologram that suddenly escaped, but it can't be me!"

The joke was a reference to far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who launched his presidential campaign in Lyon on Sunday - and appeared at a Paris rally simultaneously thanks to a 3D hologram.

Right-wing MP Nicolas Dhuicq told Russia's state-run Sputnik News on Saturday that Mr Macron was backed by a "very wealthy gay lobby" and suggested that his loyalties lay with big American banks.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has also been quoted by Russia's Izvestia newspaper as saying "we have interesting information" about Mr Macron, culled from the hacked emails of Hillary Clinton. Izvestia gave no details.

The fortunes of Mr Macron's centre-right rival. Francois Fillon, have waned over allegations that Mr Fillon's wife had done little work for the hundreds of thousands of euros she earned as a parliamentary aide between 1998 and 2012.

If the polls are right, Mr Macron would qualify for the second-round run-off in May and defeat far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has backed Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Does it really matter if he buggered another man behind his wives back? Genuine question

[AeneasBK]

Infidelity is a fairly big "no no" in politics isn't it?

Like, if you're that dishonest with the people closest to you, wtf are you going to be like with the "public"

So yeah, it does matter if he buggered another man behind his wives back. You could argue it "shouldn't" but with politics being what it is...

[sarahtasher]

In France, for the potential electors of Emmanuel Macron, probably not. This is a cheap attempt to get Marine Le Pen elected. again.

[Celista]

Does it really matter if he buggered another man behind his wives back? Genuine question

I have a poor view of people who cheat behind their partner's back, no matter who they're cheating with.

[sarahtasher]

Infidelity is a fairly big "no no" in politics isn't it?

Like, if you're that dishonest with the people closest to you, wtf are you going to be like with the "public"

So yeah, it does matter if he buggered another man behind his wives back. You could argue it "shouldn't" but with politics being what it is...

In France, infidelity is a truly trivial matter for most French. It's not stereotypes, google ''Mazarine''

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I have a poor view of people who cheat behind their partner's back, no matter who they're cheating with.

Same but I I'd bet not much will happen in France. In America though, different story.

[Deleted]

I have a poor view of people who cheat behind their partner's back, no matter who they're cheating with.

If it doesn't affect the job I don't care if they're monogamous or not in private, politicians that is

[AeneasBK]

In France, infidelity is a truly trivial matter for most French. It's not stereotypes, google ''Mazarine''

That is true enough, fair cop.

[Celista]

If it doesn't affect the job I don't care if they're monogamous or not in private, politicians that is

Obviously other things matter more, but to me someone's inclination to cheat indicates a certain moral/ethical looseness in character that will likely be reflected in their position.

People think that what they do in private doesn't affect their work or public behavior, but they're still the same person in both environments. Character doesn't change much over the course of a lifetime and it certainly doesn't change much from activity to activity.

[AeneasBK]

If it doesn't affect the job I don't care if they're monogamous or not in private, politicians that is

Would you agree that politics has issues of trust embedded in it? Or are we all happy to admit none of us really believe anything any politician says anymore it's all just another reality TV show

[Xyonai]

"The Rumour have come out: Does Emmanuel Macron is gay?!"

But in all seriousness, this seems like a rather childish accusation to throw at someone in an attempt to discredit them as a politician. Though, I'm not familiar enough with France's political climate to say whether or not such a thing would impact him with his base or just continue to rile up the far-right folks who wouldn't vote for him anyway.

[Deleted]

Would you agree that politics has issues of trust embedded in it? Or are we all happy to admit none of us really believe anything any politician says anymore it's all just another reality TV show

Has anybody fully trusted a politician for 40 years? Compared to potential scandals that already occur cheating isn't really important

[Baneth]

The claim is coming from a russian owned website. That says enough about this claim, especially when you consider Le Pen has taken loans from russian State owned banks.

The polls put him to win when put against Le Pen, so this is one of the kremlins strategies (that we've seen in many other countries, US included) to help get their preferred candidate elected.

[Wyrt]

Oh look, it's the Russians again. Those Russians sure love their far right nationalists don't they?

[Super Kami Dende]

Oh look, it's the Russians again. Those Russians sure love their far right nationalists don't they?

It's almost as if they want European Countries to keep their identity.

[sarahtasher]

It's almost as if they want European Countries to keep their identity.

You would have stupid to believe that they can't really say ''we want you to be weak''

Especially as, it' really rich to see Russian push out the '''we want to keep christian values'' narrative, after this century.

[Independent voter]

Exactly how did he laugh? That's evidence right there.

[Wyrt]

It's almost as if they want European Countries to keep their identity.

So, France should break apart then? Give the Basques, Bretons, and Occitans their independence back? Hell, they should let Normandy, Gascony, and Alsace-Lorraine be independent again too.

Yay nationalism!

[Deleted]

Exactly how did he laugh? That's evidence right there.

What evidence?

[Super Kami Dende]

You would have stupid to believe that they can't really say ''we want you to be weak''

Especially as, it' really rich to see Russian push out the '''we want to keep christian values'' narrative, after this century.

Ahh yes, because nothing says Weak like stopping your Countries culture from being overrun by other much worse and shittier cultures.

It's almost as if Western Countries did better and were safer before they were diluted by fanatical morons from 3rd World countries.