Emmanuel Macron presides over the morning of Wednesday, May 8, the ceremony commemorating the May 8, 1945 victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany during the Second World War. As tradition dictates, the President of the Republic will walk up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, paying tribute to General de Gaulle, before a military review. Follow our live stream.
A tribute to General de Gaulle. Emmanuel Macron must file a wreath of flowers at the foot of the statue of General Charles de Gaulle on Place Clémenceau, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, along the Champs-Elysées, from 10:30 a.m. The ring To the Dead will sound, followed by a minute of silence. Lin Marseillaise and the Song of the Partisans will then be sung by the choir of the French army, thenThe President of the Republic will greet the general’s family and the president of the Charles de Gaulle Foundation before joining the Arc de Triomphe.
A review of the troops. After returning to the Champs-Elysées, the Head of State will review the troops, then he will rekindle the flame at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony will conclude with a salute to the Flame Committee and the flag bearers, a signing of the guestbook and a salute from the political and military authorities. Emmanuel Macron will be accompanied by the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, the Secretary of State for Veterans and Memory, Patricia Mirallès, as well as the highest military authorities.
A year of commemorations. The Head of State will continue these celebrations in Brittany and Normandy from June 5 to 7. On June 6, Emmanuel Macron will chair the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach, with American President Joe Biden. On June 10, the Head of State will visit Oradour-sur-Glane to pay tribute to the victims of Nazi abuses. The commemorations of the Landing of Provence, the Liberation of Paris and finally, in November, that of Strasbourg will follow.