FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron faced a backlash on Tuesday after he interrupted a panel at the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya to demand silence from the audience.

Mr Macron stormed the stage to rebuke audience members for what he called a “total lack of respect,” accusing them of disrupting speakers during a presentation by artists and young entrepreneurs.

The summit is meant to showcase France’s new policy of a “partnership of equals” with the African continent.

Mr Macron announced a €23 billion (£19.8bn) investment into various African industries on Tuesday including energy, artificial intelligence and agriculture.

Videos of Mr Macron’s heated intervention on Monday quickly spread across social media, drawing a mix of mockery, praise and criticism.

Appearing visibly frustrated by the noise in the room, Mr Macron abruptly walked onto the stage and asked the speaker to hand him the microphone, saying he would “restore order.”

Addressing the audience in English, he criticised attendees for talking over the speakers and disrupting the session.

“Just imagine what would happen if an African leader did the same thing in America or Europe,” said Thierno Mbaye, a history student at a university in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.

“He acted like a schoolteacher scolding children,” Mr Mbaye told reporters.

The intervention also drew criticism in France.

“It’s stronger than him. As soon as he sets foot on the African continent, he can’t help but behave like a coloniser,” Daniele Obono, a lawmaker for left-wing party France Unbowed, said in a post on social media.

The summit, which closed on Tuesday with a declaration that was signed by all 30 heads of state, comes after years of criticism in many west African countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach from France.

The French presidency and Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.