Paris, July 14, 2024, The Europe Today: France marked its national holiday, Bastille Day, on Sunday with a series of celebrations as the country gears up to host the Olympic Games. President Emmanuel Macron commenced the traditional military parade by reviewing the troops, followed by the national anthem, La Marseillaise.
Due to preparations for the Games, the parade was rerouted from its usual path on the Champs-Élysées to the nearby Avenue Foch. Enhanced Olympic security measures resulted in a scaled-down parade, featuring 4,000 participants and 162 horses, compared to 6,500 troops last year. The display excluded tanks and armored vehicles but included a formation of over 60 aircraft, featuring a British Typhoon fighter alongside French Mirages and Rafales.
Unique Features of This Year’s Parade
Unlike previous years, which saw foreign dignitaries such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s parade did not include an international guest. Instead, it highlighted the Olympic flame, symbolizing the upcoming Summer Games set to begin in 12 days. Colonel Thibault Vallette of the elite Cadre Noir de Saumur cavalry school and a Rio 2016 equestrian gold medalist, carried the torch before passing it to a group of young athletes. The torch will tour significant Parisian landmarks, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sorbonne University, and the Louvre Museum, before moving on to other locations in Paris on Monday.
Festivities Amid Political Crisis
The Bastille Day celebrations provided a temporary respite for President Macron, who is currently navigating a political crisis following a snap election. The election weakened his centrist party, resulting in a deadlocked parliament and an unclear path forward. The leftist alliance, which secured the most seats, has yet to agree on a candidate to replace Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, whose departure seems imminent. With the parliament split into three factions and no ruling majority in sight, France faces a period of political uncertainty. Macron is constitutionally barred from calling new elections for the next 12 months, leaving the nation, a key player in the EU and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, in a precarious position.
Understanding Bastille Day
Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14, commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison in 1789, an event that marked the beginning of the French Revolution and the fall of the monarchy. The holiday is a cornerstone of French national identity, symbolizing the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, and is celebrated with events across the country.
