Emmanuel Macron criticised for ceremony giving Jeff Bezos Légion d’honneur

Emmanuel Macron has carried out a discreet ceremony to give Amazon founder Jeff Bezos the Légion d’honneur at the Elysée Palace while hundreds of thousands of workers protested across France over changes to pensions.

The French president presented the country’s highest honour in the presence of a number of VIP guests and influential business leaders last Thursday, a day of industrial action in France against Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64.

The Guardian has been told Bezos was designated member of the Legion d’Honneur about ten years ago – before Macron entered the Elysée – so the ceremony was to hand over the ribboned medal he should have had then but had not collected.

The ceremony was not announced by the Elysée or put in the president’s official diary because it was considered a private occasion, and the date was organised with the Bezos family to coincide with when he was passing through Paris. Around 300 foreigners are admitted to the Legion d’honneur every year.

The revelation by news magazine Le Point has caused anger in France where Macron has been branded “president of the rich” by leftwing critics. Bezos is the world’s third richest person, behind Tesla CEO Elon Musk in second place. The top spot is held by French billionaire Bernard Arnault, the president-director general of the luxury group LVMH, who was present at Thursday’s ceremony.

Le Point described the ceremony attended by “only a few hand-picked guests” as “sumptuous but confidential”. The event was not listed in the president’s official diary or in the regular updates to the press detailing Macron’s engagements. A photograph published by the conservative magazine showed Bezos in a pale suit chatting to Macron.

Opponents of the government’s bitterly contested changes to the country’s pension system accused Macron of mocking them.

Manon Aubry of the leftwing La France Insoumise (LFI), or Unbowed France, tweeted: “Context: record CAC40 [French stock exchange] profits, inflation, massive demonstrations against the reform of pensions … Macron’s bright idea: decorate the boss of Amazon Jeff Bezos … with the Legion of Honour.”

François Piquemal, an MP for LFI, tweeted: “Always and forever, everything for the rich, nothing for the people.”

The fiercest reaction came from those most invested in opposing the pension and retirement changes. Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist party said: “The president’s doctrine: punish the French, reward the billionaires”.

A member of the Elysée press office said: “I have no information about this.”