French Newspaper Slams the Rich: 'Fu** Off You Wealthy Bastard

"People like him were parasites"

France's government has been primarily run by socialists since mid-June, when they swept the parliament and gave President Francois Hollande a solid majority.

No friend to the rich, Hollande immediately began calling for a 75% tax on the country's wealthiest citizens. Economically, the plan is failing miserably -- the country is projecting a 1% growth rate for 2013, and the wealthy are leaving in droves.

At least one French newspaper, however, is unrepentant.

After the country's richest man, Bernard Arnault, moved to seek Belgian citizenship over the weekend, the daily newspaper Libération ordered the man to "get lost" on its front page Monday.

Referring to him as a "rich idiot," the title roughly translates as "f**k off, you wealthy bastard," according to Business Insider.

Here is the cover:

Picturing the 63-year-old head of the Louis Vuitton, Moët and Hennessy (LVMH) luxury goods empire with suitcase in hand, the paper asserts that Arnault will be, for all intents and purposes, exiled from France for his decision.

Even if the government makes no such move, it apparently embodies a "symbol of the selfishness by the most wealthy," France 24 translates.

The paper has an audience of roughly 140,000 people, according to Business Insider, and references the stark contrast between Hollande and former President Sarkozy with the title. While the country is now telling the wealthy to "get lost," apparently Sarkozy said something similar to a farmer while in office.

France 24 has more on the reaction to Arnault's decision:

“Bernard Arnault should realise what it means to ask for another nationality… Being French is not just about receiving, it is about giving to your country,” the [French] president said.
Arnauld insisted on Sunday that his application is not motivated by money, nor should it be seen as a political statement.
"I am and will remain a tax resident in France and in this regard I will, like all French people, fulfil my fiscal obligations," the world's fourth-richest man told AFP.
"Our country must count on everyone to do their bit to face a deep economic crisis amid strict budgetary constraints," he said.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the outspoken leader of the Left Front coalition of far-left political parties, had perhaps the strongest response.

"People like him were parasites,” he concluded.

(H/T: Business Insider)