French President Macron swears at ungrateful subjects on cyclone-hit island

Cyclone Chido blew last week through Mayotte, an overseas department of France in the Indian ocean, making a mess of its vast slums. Confronted by desperate locals on his public relations trip there, French president Emmanual Macron made his thoughts clear: "if this wasn't France, you'd be in a bath of shit 10,000 times worse." Sacré merde!

The BBC bowderlizes his language (video):

"If this wasn't France, you would be 10,000 times more screwed," he added to gasps, using an expletive.

He arrived in the French Indian Ocean territory on Thursday, five days after Cyclone Chido tore through the small islands. Thousands are without access to water and rescuers are continuing efforts to find missing people.

Macron told reporters he had extended his visit until Friday as a mark of respect, and that leaving the same day could have "installed the idea that we come, we look, we leave".

"Vous êtes content d'être en France! Parce que si ce n'était pas la France, vous seriez 10000 fois plus dans la merde!"

"Bath of shit," as The Guardian has it, is a bit poetic and anglifié—he said "dans la merde" which is quite immersive enough.

31 dead, officially, though thousands are missing.