'The walking flower': Twitter users 'can't get over' Macron covered in flower garlands

French President Emmanuel Macron who visited French Polynesia to showcase his country’s commitment to the region became a meme for turning into a ‘flower man.’ While Macron arrived in French Polynesia’s capital, Papeete, he was greeted with flower garlands and Tahitian dancers on the tarmac as he kickstarted his first official trip to the French territory, overseas. However, he was greeted with numerous flower garlands that by the end of it, his formal suit underneath was not visible. Instead, the images and videos from his arrival show him walking while being entirely covered in flowers or as Twitter users termed “flower man,” “flower warrior” or “the walking flower.”

 Macron’s trip to French Polynesia

Macron travelled to French Polynesia to showcase France’s commitment to the region as concerns spiked about the impact of climate change on the Pacific island territory and escalating dominance of China. The French President started the trip on Saturday night in Tahiti with a visit to a hospital where he urged for vaccination against COVID-19. As per The Associated Press report, he will also discuss Tahiti’s role as the host of the Olympic surfing competition for the 2024 Paris Games.

Macron’s visit is aimed at reinstating France’s geopolitical presence in the Pacific. Apart from flower garlands, he was also greeted with an  ’orero, a traditional declaration by a respected storyteller, when he arrived in Tahiti’s main city Papeete. Notably, Papeete is 12 time zones away from Paris. Macron was scheduled to visit for four days covering sites across an ocean territory that’s as large as Europe.

Having a multi-ethnic population of around 300,000, the former French colony is made up of five archipelagos with a total of 118 islands. Since 2004, it has an autonomous status which is defined as “an overseas country within the republic” which “is governed freely and democratically, by its representatives.” Macron, however, still remains the head of state and the long-awaited visit that started on Saturday was a part of what his office calls his “Tour de France” aimed at reaffirming “our proximity to overseas territories.” 

IMAGE: Twitter