Emmanuel Macron welcomed the faithful to Paris on Saturday at a rally in the west of the capital. I know the venue well; it is the home of the Racing 92 rugby club and many a time I’ve sat in the indoor arena, roaring my approval at a bone-crunching tackle.
The hollering on Saturday was for the president as he held his first and only significant campaign event before next Sunday’s election. It wasn’t quite a full house, with a few untaken seats in the 30,000 capacity arena, but the fervour reverberated around the arena as Macron made his grand entrance. It was like a boxer approaching the ring in a title fight. A warm-up act had whipped the crowd into a frenzy and as Macron emerged from his dressing room, music blasted and fireworks exploded. A bevy of bouncers cleared a path for the reigning champion, pushing back delirious fans as they reached out a hand to their hero.
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