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It was one of the moments of the 2017 presidential campaign: the clash between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen at Whirlpool. The 20 hours of France 2 returns to this key moment in “The decisive moment”.
On April 26, 2017, Whirlpool’s social conflict becomes the epicenter of the presidential election. Five years later, what remains of this decisive moment? Today, the parking lot is deserted. Christopher Beaugranda former Whirlpool employee, says: “People thought, maybe Whirlpool is going to backtrack. But hey, it was utopian.“ Immanuel Macron then met the trade unionists of the company, in a hostile climate, at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Amiens (Sum). Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen decides to go there to meet the employees, 4 km away.
The then mayor of Amiens regret political instrumentalization of distress. According to Brigitte Fourré, “Whirlpool had become a symbol, a symbol of a company that decides to close while making a profit“. Two hours after competitor, Emmanuel Macron surrenders on the company car park. The employees are hostile and whistle his coming. The reception is rough, but the dialogue ends up settling. Today, the big factory is closed: the politicians have passed, the ax of the economy has fallen.