Why are the people of Liège celebrating on the 14th of July?

On July 14, France celebrates its national holiday … a day to which the city of Liège has been badociated for decades. And this year again, July 14 will be synonymous with official commemorations at the City Hall of Liège, concerts … and a fireworks 20 minutes long. Conversely, Liège puts much less forward July 21, day of the Belgian national holiday. How to explain this difference? To talk about it, Alain Laroche, president of the badociation of French friends of Liège, was the guest of Premiere weekend this Saturday morning.

" Historically, we had a whole common past (with the France) since 1870 explains Alain Laroche In 1914, we blocked the German army with the forts of Liege.We were the first city outside France to have the Legion of Honor. "

From 1945," a handful of Liégeois and French wanted to mark the development of (the French motto) freedom-equality-fraternity which is very dear to Liegeois ". The province of Liège has some 30,000 French nationals.

French arrogance? "Typical of Paris"

Over the years, Liège has continued to cultivate a " marked Francophile feeling ". But not to the point of supporting France in the World Cup so far, badures Alain Laroche. " I think we would have preferred to be a loyalist and Belgium wins, but we will finally have the French and the Belgians who will win a final, the big and the small, that would be a consolation." "

As to whether the French are as arrogant as is sometimes said, the president of the badociation of French friends of Liège sweeps the criticism. " This is typically due to the big cities and Paris In the deeper France and in big cities like Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, we do not feel at all this arrogance, or in any case much less there "