Francois Hollande, ex-president of France as of May, finally broke his silence about his successor, Emmanuel Macron.

Hollande, a member of the Socialist party, gave centrist Macron a little foreshadowing of the possible backlash he might be receiving soon for his proposed Labor Law (loi du travail) reforms. These reforms could affect issues as explosive as the 35-hour work week, the crown jewel of French lifestyle.

In an interview, Hollande warned Macron against demanding “useless sacrifices” from the French people. Those are harsh words for an ex-president who, only months before, had sworn that he would give no judgment of the man set to follow in his footsteps. And where is Macron in the midst of all this? Definitely not in France to defend himself. While the new leader is off on a state visit to Eastern Europe, those of us on this side of the Atlantic will be refreshing our Twitter page to see if France’s new leader handles criticism as well as ours does.

Watch this video for FRANCE 24’s coverage of Hollande’s color commentary.