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Storm after magazine cover brands Sarkozy as a thug

Members of the French ruling party have rallied behind President Nicolas Sarkozy after the cover of a weekly magazine referred to him as “the thug of the Republic”. Left-wing publication Marianne carried the headline below a menacing-looking photo of the French president.

Marianne
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Right-wing politicians have criticised the front page as disrespectful.

“The word thug, by definition, is what?” asked the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher. “It’s an individual with villainous morals, who’s involved in crime … it’s unacceptable.”

The secretary of state for family, Nadine Morano, has demanded that the magazine publicly apologise.

However, the author of the article and co-founder of Marianne, Jean-François Kahn, welcomed the row as “good publicity” for the magazine.

Maurice Szafran, the director of the publication, says journalists are being confronted by a campaign led by the ruling UMP party.

“Is it up to the UMP, who are in power, to Sarkozy supporters or the president of the Republic to decide what the limits are in terms of freedom of the press?” he asked.

It’s not the first time that Marianne has caused controversy with a front cover about the French President. During the 2007 election campaign its front page asked “Is Sarkozy crazy?”

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