Residents jeer French PM on visit to fire-hit region

On Monday, the French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, faced jeers and anti-government slogans from residents in Le Porge, a town in southwestern France that suffered heavily from wildfires earlier this summer. Around 200 people dressed in black gathered in front of the town hall, where 183 homes were destroyed when wildfires swept through the Gironde département in late July and early August.

The crowd shouted, "Where is he? Where is he?" demanding the prime minister meet with them. Tony Veiga, a 65-year-old pensioner, stated, "It would have been the least he could do for the prime minister to meet the residents." Lecornu's office claimed they had spoken with the affected residents and farmers, affirming transparency regarding fire protection operations.

However, residents allege that authorities prioritized fighting fires in upscale areas, like the Cap-Ferret peninsula, over local homes. Ludivine Daurignac, an organizer of affected residents, said, "We were met by lines of riot police blocking our access." The fire covered 42,000 hectares, making it the largest such fire in France since 1949 and forcing the evacuation of over 220,000 residents and tourists.