Le scam? Sarkozy accused of 'bussing in' fake black workers during site visit in bid to boost his flagging popularity     

By Peter Allen for MailOnline
Updated:


Nicolas Sarkozy was today accused of bussing in dozens of fake black workers to make himself look more ‘popular and inclusive’ during a tour of a building site.

The French President is desperately trying to boost his poll ratings in the run up to a general election in the Spring.

Following claims that the right-wing conservative is solely interested in the rich, Mr Sarkozy appeared at a site in Mennecy, a commuter town just south of Paris, on Thursday.

Publicity stunt? President Sarkozy has been accused of bussing in dozens of fake black workers to make himself look more 'popular and inclusive'

Publicity stunt? President Sarkozy has been accused of bussing in dozens of fake black workers to make himself look more 'popular and inclusive'

Meet and greet: Sarkozy joked with the men as he visited a building site in Mennecy near Paris yesterday, but his political opponents have called the visit a stunt

Meet and greet: Sarkozy joked with the men as he visited a building site in Mennecy near Paris yesterday, but his political opponents have called the visit a stunt

He was immediately surrounded by a huge group of grinning workers, all of whom were black.

Mr Sarkozy began exchanging jokes with the men, congratulating them on creating some 130 low-cost homes.

But afterwards it was claimed that Presidential aides had ‘bussed the so-called workers in’ as part of a publicity stunt.


A site manager told French journalists: ‘They wanted the president to be surrounded by as many people as possible, which meant doubling the number of workers present on the day from the usual 60 to 120.’

Other workers recognised colleagues from other sites, with one saying there were also ‘complete strangers’ wearing hard hats.

He added: ‘It was such a cold day that none of us were meant to be working anyway. We were told to 'look busy' and to 'be nice' to Sarkozy.

‘The idea was to make him look popular and inclusive – to make out that he has friends who are black, working men.’

'Political lies': A spokesman for Sarkozy flatly denied that the President had tried to use the workers to improve his image, saying 'everyone who has worked on this site, or might potentially work there in the future' had been given the chance to go along

'Political lies': A spokesman for Sarkozy flatly denied that the President had tried to use the workers to improve his image, saying 'everyone who has worked on this site, or might potentially work there in the future' had been given the chance to go along

Claude Bartolone, a local Socialist MP, said Mr Sarkozy should receive a ‘best director Oscar’ for organising such impressive photographs.

An Elysee Palace source confirmed that extra ‘workers’ had indeed been drafted in, so as to give ‘everyone who has worked on this site, or might potentially work there in the future, the chance to come along.’

But the spokesman denied claims that Mr Sarkozy had been trying to use black workers to boost his electoral popularity, calling them ‘political lies’.

The President , who is widely expected to lose the May election to Socialist rival Francois Hollande, has often been accused of bussing in extras to improve his photographs.

Three years ago the 5ft 5ins head of state banned all tall people from a stage he was appearing on in Normandy because he did not want to look too short.

He was also reported to have banned tall bodyguards from his presidential protection team.

Mr Sarkozy’s tough anti-immigration and anti-Islamic policies have always made him extremely unpopular with ethnic minority voters in France.

Political commentators frequently point to the lack of black faces in Mr Sarkozy’s government, and in his ruling coalition, the UMP.

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