Sarkozy Berates Photographers In N.H.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his temper with two American news photographers covering his vacation Sunday, jumping onto their boat and scolding them loudly in French.

The confrontation came Sunday afternoon as Sarkozy and companions were headed for open water in a boat on Lake Winnipesaukee when he spotted Associated Press photographer Jim Cole and freelancer Vince DeWitt aboard Cole's boat, which was outside a buoy barrier monitored by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol.

Before Sarkozy spotted him, Cole had driven his boat up to the patrol boat, identified himself and received permission to be there.

"He was happy and smiling and he waved at the security people as he was coming out," Cole said of the president. "And then he noticed us taking pictures and his happy demeanor diminished immediately."

The men said they watched through their lenses as Sarkozy pointed toward them and his boat began moving in their direction. Coming alongside Cole's boat, Sarkozy, clad only in swim trunks, jumped aboard and began shouting at them.

"The president was very agitated, speaking French at a loud volume very rapidly," DeWitt said.

Both men said they repeatedly stated they did not speak French. Cole said that he asked whether any of the other passengers on Sarkozy's boat spoke English, but that no one answered or intervened.

Sarkozy picked up DeWitt's camera but then put it down. A woman then spoke up in English and relayed Sarkozy's request to be left alone, DeWitt said. The woman did not identify herself.

Hours earlier, Sarkozy had spoken to reporters and said in French, "I am naturally ready to answer all your questions, and maybe afterward you will resume covering the news and other topics, and leave me tranquilly with my family." An AP reporter taped Sarkozy's remarks and had them translated, but the photographers did not hear the translation until after the altercation.

After Cole and DeWitt promised to stop shooting photos for the day, Sarkozy calmed down, reboarded his boat and continued out onto the lake with his party, followed by a boat carrying U.S. Secret Service agents.

The French government in Paris had no immediate comment.

Sarkozy and his family have been vacationing at a lakefront estate in Wolfeboro owned by former Microsoft Corp. executive Michael Appe. The president was previously photographed relaxing dockside in his swim trunks.

[michellem99-2009]

I was raised in small towns and the busy budies were not liked. So thank you Sir for standing up and it us Americans that were rude to you as you were on holiday. The reporters/pic takers had no business messing with him on his time off. He had every right to holiday there and tell them buzz off. Good I am glad we were put in our place. The photo takers were.

[vancouverboo]

Initiation to the american paparatti. The French media aren't interested in their politicians private lives. They have affairs and illegal children and the French media leave them alone. The French public aren't interested.
Welcome to America. We're interested in every little are of your private life. We're just nosey people. Small towners.

[frugal4]

When former French president Jacques Chirac spent his summer vacations with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in the wild woods of Quebec, Canada the event was studiously ignored by the cowed and placid Canadian press corps. Out of these meetings, one can assume came Canada's failure to support the USA after 9/11 in the war against terrorism -- in Afghanistan and Iraq. Or perhaps its was simply that Chretien's son-in-law was at that time a senior executive with the French firm PetroFina, (as reported once in the Globe and Mail and then conveniently overlooked by that same press corps) a firm which held the now discredited oil-for-food contract in Iraq. How refreshing that the American press is aggressive enough to subject the new King of France to public scrutiny.

[hawksprings]

Many, many years ago, a French General went to visit a British army installation.
As he was shown around the base, the French General asked the British commander, "Why do you British wear Red Coats? Doesn't that just make you an easier target for the enemy?"

The British commander replied, "The reason we wear Red Coats is so that if an officer gets shot in battle, his men won't see him bleeding and lose their courage."

That is why, to this day, the French Army wears brown pants.

...

[undermyboot]

And the real worry is, this guy controls NUCLEAR WEAPONS!
Posted by ImpeachNOW at 02:12 PM : Aug 06, 2007
-----
No sh*t. This moron can't control himself. He was well known in France for making outrageous statements about various groups of people in France. But like our own "glorious King" he only picked on small minorities so he could whip up support amongst those who put him in office. Gee- he must have learned something from the Germans (well Hitler anyway): blame the minorities for your country's problems and stir up hatred and fear to win elections. Bush is good at this too.

%u201CIt was, as one of his colleagues confirmed, almost a happy day for him when famous buildings were destroyed, because at such time he put into his speeches that ecstatic hatred which aroused the fanaticism...%u201D George Bush after 9/11 (oops, I mean - Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister)

[fizzal-2009]

please don,t be rude to our guest from France while he goes topless on the riveara of America.

[undermyboot]

Gotta love it. Sarkozy is a French clone of Bush. Like Bush, spying on their people is OK, but taking pictures of THEM from a public location is not. F'ing fascist dictators.

Sarkozy should go back to France and clamp down on his own gawddamnned press. What a useless piece of sh*t. LMFAO

[j_flood]

New Hampshire? This guy lives in France and comes to NH for his vacation. Jeez, I know New Hampshire is beautiful but to leave France for NH.

And whats he ******** about? Doesn't he remember the paparazzi contributed to killing Princess Di in downtown Paris. Easy up buddy - only two cameras.

There's goes NH as a vacation spot for the French!

[stargate1121]

I think the paperazzi is a pain in the butt. they do stuff that they know they shouldn't be doing, but do it anyhow. that is partly how Princess Diana died. The paperazzi was chasing them.
they do that with anyone famous. what a crock. they should regulate how they take pictures of people.

[ronin77]

wow.. that's the first time a frenchmen has fought back. i guess the photographer wasn't german.