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Under the Paris Arc de Triomphe, an international memorial service on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War began this Sunday. Nearly 70 heads of state and government, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, have accepted the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron had already received the guests of honor, including the Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, at the Elysee. A symbolic sign of unity was the way they arrived at the Arc de Triomphe. Like a great football team, they were driven into two red buses on the Champs-Elysees. Despite the rain, they extended the last meters on foot, side by side across the width of the street. Facilitator Macron rubbed shoulders with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Chief among them were European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and King Felipe VI of Spain. to have.
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However, not all heads of state and government participated in this staging. For example, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin preferred to travel to the Arc de Triomphe in a black sedan. On the way to Trump, there was an incident when a bare-baded woman broke through the gates and went to the president's convoy. She had written the word "fake" on her bads. Trump and Putin arrived one after the other, the other guests having already settled under the Arc de Triomphe. The US president is positioned alongside Merkel, his Russian counterpart between the Macron couple.
The celebration began at 11 am, while in France riot minutes announced the entry into force of the ceasefire between the Allies and the defeated German Reich. The day of the German capitulation during the First World War is celebrated every year in France. Macron wants to make this year's commemoration an international call for peace. The celebration began with a French military ceremony, but it should then get an international rating.
For example, the American violinist Yo-Yo Ma was to play Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite 5, and Franco-Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo would pay tribute to the veterans of the colonial war. Eight students would read stories from eyewitnesses from different countries before Macron wanted to speak. Finally, the eternal flame should be lit to the sound of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero".
The celebration was held in strict compliance with security measures, as a result of attacks against Macron and possible far right troubles Saturday. About 2,000 police officers were deployed to isolate the Arc de Triomphe on a large scale.
The historic Parisian boulevards, including the Champs-Elysées, have been closed. A few hours earlier, long lines of spectators had formed at the gates, defying even the rainy weather. Everywhere war veterans and uniformed soldiers from different countries were invited to be invited to the celebration.
Visitors from the United States also came. For example, a couple of US visitors told the TV channel "France24" that he wanted to send a peace signal. "Millions of people died in this war, but that did not change anything and that was repeated 20 years later," said one of them about the Second World War.
In London, Sunday should also be a memorial service to which the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wanted to go. Already Saturday night, there was a festive event under the eyes of Queen Elizabeth II. Britain is one of the few EU Member States not to be represented at the highest level during the Paris celebrations.
After the celebration, a lunch was planned for the guests at the Elysee. In the afternoon, the heads of state and government should attend the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum, during which German Chancellor Angela Merkel wished to deliver the speech for the first time. ;opening. The wives of the state guests were to participate in a concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Palace of Versailles.
(APA / AFP)
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