France offers citizenship to Malian immigrant who rescued child

Paris: France on Monday offered citizenship to an illegal immigrant from Mali who scaled the front of a Paris apartment building to save a boy who was about to fall from a fourth-floor balcony.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Mamoudou Gassama, who has been nicknamed "Spider-Man" because of his heroic feat. Macron congratulated Gassama and said France would give him a job in the Paris emergency services.
Ministers said the citizenship process would be sped up for Gassama, although he can't legally be granted citizenship right away. Illegal immigration from Africa and the Middle East has become a major issue in France and much of Europe. Macron has been criticised by left-wing voters for taking a tougher stance on immigration since his election.
But Macron's visit with Gassama on Monday may have been an effort to send a message to voters by signaling a more welcoming attitude to a deserving migrant.