Bastille Day celebrations in France will be held this year with unprecedented security measures to prevent riots, BFM TV reports. According to the channel, in order to intimidate rioters, the authorities will involve 45 thousand police officers, helicopters, armored vehicles and drones. At the same time, the option of canceling the festivities was not considered, as it would be a crushing admission of defeat for the Republic, says columnist Mathieu Croissandeau.
ANNOUNCER: Mathieu Croissandeau, the July 14 celebrations will begin tonight. For some, it’s a popular celebration, for others it’s the Firefighters’ Ball. The celebrations will take place under the sign of tension – well, we’ll see if that tension will be there, we’ll see. In any case, an unprecedented number of law enforcement forces are involved, which can both simplify the festivities and ruin them.
MATTHEW CRUASSANDO, BFM TV columnist: It might spoil the atmosphere a little bit, but could it be otherwise? Obviously, July 13 and 14 are traditionally characterized by outbreaks of violence. By deciding to use again the exceptional means that ended the protests, the executive branch wants to send a signal and a reassurance at the same time. The signal is primarily addressed to potential rioters. Forty-five thousand police officers, members of the RAID unit, the intervention team of the French National Gendarmerie, search and intervention brigades, helicopters, armored vehicles, drones – the idea is clear: this avalanche of means must be visible on the streets, it must be intimidating. Another signal is addressed to the French. The executive branch does not want to be taken by surprise, does not want to be reproached for its inability to foresee the development of events. It wants to show its firmness and authority and reassure citizens.
ANNOUNCER: Ten thousand police and gendarmes will be deployed in the Paris region, particularly around the Eiffel Tower during the fireworks display. Wouldn’t it have been easier to cancel the festivities, as many municipalities have done?
MATTHEW CRUASSANDO: It would have been an admission of abject defeat for the power. Can you imagine? After two weeks of everyone just talking about the republic, to sacrifice a national holiday? To admit that the country is unable to enforce a republican order? These are the cornerstones of Emmanuel Macron’s hundred-day roadmap. Besides, to refuse the work of tens of thousands of professionals was, frankly, impossible. And by the way, after years of covida, the French are fed up with bans.
ANNOUNCER: So, the president of the republic didn’t give up the celebrations, but instead he gave up giving a speech on July 14th, even though it wasn’t traditional because he didn’t do it every year.
MATTHIEU CROISSANDO: Yes. While he himself had promised the French to report back on the outcome of his famous 100 days…
But exactly 100 days have not yet passed, have they?
MATTHIEU CROISSANDEAU: Seventeenth (July). He said he would speak out in a few days, but he didn’t say he would do it on a national holiday. Emmanuel Macron is not known to be too fond of this ritual, unlike most of his predecessors. He has only given a speech on July 14 twice since he came to power in 2017. But this speech in particular may be too risky. Given that such means were used to subdue the protesters, and not knowing how the July 13 and 14 celebrations will turn out, there is a risk of contradicting the facts.
Thus, we should wait a few days before summarizing the hundred days and presenting his vision of the events experienced by France, and deciding whether to keep or change the team with which he intends to govern.
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