French President Emmanuel Macron has addressed some 600 mayors in Souillac, a town of 3,750 inhabitants in the south-west, on the second leg of his "Great National Debate" programme, reports Radio France Internationale.
To remind Macron why he was there, a few hours before he arrived, several dozen anti-government protestors were contained by riot police.
The president's tour of France for his government's "Great National Debate" is a gesture to appease the discontent expressed by the "yellow vest" movement which began late last year.
He kicked off the tour three days ago in Normandy in northwest France, where, like in Souillac, he was greeted by an angry mob.
The president, who was due to meet local mayors as he did in Normandy, is maintaining his sangfroid.
He stopped off at a school in Sozy in Lot county, where he said, "School and health are the two driving forces for our investment, because these are investments in human beings."
Commenting on the previous generation's move away from the countryside, he explained that rural areas will become attractive again for families once "young working couples know they will be able to raise their children and find doctors there."
The French education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer and Sébastien Lecornu, minister for local government and jointly in charge of the Grand National Debate, travelled with the head of state.