Gabriel Attal beer video draws alcohol law accusations

Former French prime minister Gabriel Attal is facing accusations from anti-addiction groups that a campaign video showing him with a beer violated France's rules on alcohol promotion.

Attal, a contender in the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, launched what he called the “1,000 bistros” campaign on social media this week. In the clip, he holds a half pint of beer in a traditional cafe and says he wants the presidential campaign to include simple conversations around “a table, a drink”.

Addictions France said the video was a “clear violation” of France's 1991 law regulating tobacco and alcohol promotion. The group said the beer glass showed a prominent French beer brand and warned that the video “may encourage alcohol consumption”.

Mickael Naassila, president of the French Society of Alcohol Studies, said the problem was “associating alcohol with conviviality” during an election period.

Hard-left France Unbowed lawmaker Antoine Leaument called the clip a “disgrace” and said alcohol is responsible for 49,000 deaths per year in France.

Attal denied promoting alcoholism during a stop in the northern port of Saint-Malo. “The French art of living also encompasses our brewing and winemaking sectors, cider, and so on. Does having a drink mean you are promoting alcoholism? Of course not,” he said.

Attal, 37, served as France's youngest prime minister in 2024. Most polls indicated he was not the leading candidate among centrists, with former premier Edouard Philippe currently seen as having the best chance of beating Marine Le Pen, while Attal has refused to give way.