Macron compared to HITLER by French magazine Le Monde sparking backlash

Le Monde, a French daily newspaper, published a black and red cover that appeared to compare Mr Macron to the Nazi leader who was responsible for the deaths of more than 6 million Jewish people. The image featured a collage of Mr Macron above France’s Yellow Vest protesters with the vandalised Champs Elysees in the background. The blood red art and dramatic style of the cover caught the eye of readers, with President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, suggesting that they might have invoked certain parallels. Sharing an image of the cover alongside one of Hitler, Mr Ferrand said on Twitter: “Eager to understand what builds graphics and iconographic references @lemonde_M.

“If it may be random, what is it then? In search of lost meaning.”

Other social media users were quick to point out the cover also drew comparisons between Mr Macron and Karl Marx or even Vladimir Lenin and the French leader.

The backlash prompted Le Monde to issue an apology.

Director, Luc Bronner, apologised for the disturbance the cover had caused, but rejected suggestions that the magazine had intended to compare Mr Macron to the Nazi leader.

Mr Bronner said: “We apologise to those who have been shocked by the graphic design which obviously does not correspond to the reproaches forwarded to us.”

The cover comes amid relentless protests by yellow vest demonstrators that have not slowed down since demonstrations broke out on November 17.

Yesterday it was announced the anti-government protests will continue well into 2019, with more demonstrations planned on New Year’s Eve.

The angry protests have forced Mr Macron to take a U-turn on his fuel tax reforms but his popularity has continued in sharp decline.

Questions have been raised over whether the protests will cost Mr Macron his presidency after three months of low popularity ratings that have now slipped even lower to a 23 percent approval rating, according to a poll conducted by pollofpolls.eu on December 15.

The yellow vest protests are currently in its seventh week of demonstrations and are made up of thousands of angry Frenchmen and women who feel the president has let them down.

More than 10 people have died in the revolt which also saw famous landmarks in Paris, such as the Arc de Triomphe graffitied.