Critics of the pension reform believe that the French have been kept away from this national tribute, in a context of social protest.
There was no national consensus. On the evening of the commemorations of May 8, 1945, many voices were raised, in the opposition, to denounce the organization of the ceremonies by the executive, more particularly the important security perimeters and the ban on demonstrations in Paris and Lyon. .
The day began with the traditional ceremony in Paris, where Emmanuel Macron drove up an almost empty Champs-Élysées avenue to the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. The photos of a giant screen broadcasting the ceremony in front of the depopulated Place de l’Étoile were widely relayed by the opposition on social networks.
“Macron alone against the people”wrote Thomas Portes, deputy of La France insoumise in Seine-Saint-Denis, on his Twitter account.
“Emmanuel Macron is so isolated, so disconnected, that he now finds himself forced to celebrate alone commemorations that are supposed to illustrate and strengthen national cohesion”reprimanded Marine Le Pen, deputy of the National Rally in Pas-de-Calais.
A security perimeter on the Champs-Elysées
The images of the famous empty avenue are partly explained by the ban on all demonstrations, taken by the Paris police headquarters, in a large perimeter around the Champs-Elysées. A large police force filtered the entrances and exits to this area, and barriers prevented the public from gathering at the edge of the sidewalks of the avenue. It should be noted that last year, the Champs-Elysées were already very little frequented when the Head of State passed by.
On the spot, some were disappointed, according to testimonies collected by AFP. “We wanted to see the president, we are very disappointed. We do not understand why there is all this mess”, lamented a spectator, stuck with his daughter 200 m from the famous avenue. “Military ceremonies are done so that the population is behind the flag. It’s still a shame for France”abounded a resident of the district.
Contacted by franceinfo, the presidency wishes to recall that “the Champs-Elysées remained open to the public”even if “like every year, a security device was planned”. It also highlights the presence “young people, college and high school students, in the guest gallery”out of a total of 984 people.
Protesters kept at a distance in Lyon
The Head of State then went to Lyon to pay tribute to Jean Moulin. Before visiting the Montluc prison, where the leader of the resistance was detained and tortured, Emmanuel Macron was arrested by an environmental senator. “We would have liked there to be a few more people”launched him the elected representative of the Rhône Thomas Dossus, at the time of the handshakes. “I think that civic spirit would benefit from being widely disseminated. (…) Mistakes in tone are never good”replied Emmanuel Macron dryly.
“The situation should have been calmed down before, so that such an important ceremony could take place with a wider audience”then developed the parliamentarian in front of the media on site. A position supported by Marine Tondelier, the general secretary of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts: “Yes, we had to pay tribute to Jean Moulin. Yes, it’s a shame to have to ban the population so that it goes well”she reacted on Twitter.
Around the Montluc prison, as along the presidential route in Paris, demonstrations were prohibited and vast security perimeters had been set up. The aim was in particular to avoid “casserolades”, which have become systematic with each trip of the president and members of the government since the promulgation of the highly contested pension reform.
Some 3,000 people according to the prefecture and 5,000 according to the CGT still demonstrated outside the Montluc prison, some banging on saucepans. Several hundred meters away, Emmanuel Macron made his visit without incident.