France-Le Pen calls for the withdrawal of the European flag under the Arc de Triomphe


PARIS, January 1 (Reuters) – Several candidates for the presidential election in France, including Marine Le Pen and Valrie Pcresse, have protested against the installation of the European flag under the Arc de Triomphe on the occasion of the start of the French presidency of the European Union.

In a press release published on Saturday, the candidate of the National Rally Marine Le Pen said her intention to file “in the coming days” before the Council of State an appeal for annulment and a ref-suspension concerning the installation of the blue canvas flag, no accompanied by the tricolor flag, under the vote of the monument which overhangs the avenue des Champs-Elyses Paris.

She denounces “a real attack on the identity of our Fatherland, so much does this monument honoring our military glories, sheltering the spoils of the Unknown Soldier and which in fact constitutes a cnothaph in memory of all the dead for France, embodies the beating heart of our country. Nation and our common memory “.

For the finalist of the 2017 Elyse race, critical of European construction, the decision “could only be taken on a direct order from Emmanuel Macron who, on this occasion, once again betrayed the duties of his office and again manifested his arrogant contempt for our History, for reasons of personal ambition. “

The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clment Beaune, replied by explaining that this deployment was only temporary.

“Marine le Pen is so patriotic that she ignores republican rules: the French flag is not permanently displayed under the Arc de Triomphe. It has therefore not been replaced by the European flag,” he said in a message sent to Reuters . “This European flag, which is also ours and symbolizes peace, will appear for a few days under the Arc de Triomphe.”

The candidate of the Rpublicains party in the presidential election, Valrie Pcresse, asked via Twitter Emmanuel Macron “to restore our tricolor next to that of Europe”. The far-right polist Eric Zemmour, also in the running for Elyse, has denounced an “outrage” on the same social network.

From this Saturday, France assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union for a period of six months, while the presidential election is due to take place in April.

On this occasion, the Eiffel Tower and the facade of the Elyse Palace were illuminated in the colors of the European flag. (Elizabeth Pineau report)



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