In Avignon, a mural located at the northern entrance to the city represented Emmanuel Macron made up as Pinocchio, above the puppet, pulling the strings Jacques Attali. This fresco, entitled “The Beast 2 the event”, was signed by the graffiti artist Lektor. The images made the rounds on social networks and caused an outcry.

As soon as the photos of the work were released, several personalities and associations asked for it to be removed because of the fresco’s anti-Semitic and conspiratorial references. The American Jewish Committee notably challenged the mayor, Cécile Helle, on Twitter, asking her to erase the painting of Emmanuel Macron & Jacques Attali.

The Jewish Defense League believes that many anti-Semitic symbols are present: “The Jewish and influential personality (here Jacques Attali), the worrying look and the hands that operate puppets to make it clear that the Jews run the world.”

The expression “the beast of the event” is a sentence that Emmanuel Macron notably pronounced in 2020 in an interview granted to the Financial Times about the historic moment that Europe and the world were going through in the face of the Covid pandemic in particular. -19, as our colleagues from Le Monde, have pointed out. But it has since been taken up by the conspiratorial sphere which has seen references to “the apocalypse”.

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In Avignon’s words, “freedom of speech.”

According to France Bleu, there was once talk of the fresco, painted on a building belonging to Grand Avignon, being removed, but this was refused at first sight by the city and the urban community. Finally, it will be covered, announced Grand Avignon, quoted by France Bleu, stating that this decision was taken at the insistence of the prefect. According to the radio, the fresco of Jacques Attali & Emmanuel Macron was covered this Friday, June 24 after being degraded.

Thursday, the urban community, as well as the town hall, had affirmed to France Bleu as to La Provence that the fresco would remain in place. The two communities felt that “everyone can interpret the image as they want since there is no word on this wall”, stressing also “want to respect freedom of expression”.

As BFMTV reminds us, this is not the first time that graffiti artist Lekto has been talked about for his achievements. He had notably depicted on the same wall Olivier Véran, then Minister of Health, surrounded by syringes, or even Jean-Michel Blanquer with a dunce cap.