The July 14 parade has made a comeback in its original form, to the delight of spectators. The soldiers and police marched, under the eye of Emmanuel Macron, for a ceremony marked by the health crisis.
France celebrated its national day on Wednesday July 14 with a military parade on the famous avenue des Champs-Elysées, under the watchful eye of Emmanuel Macron, who presided over these festivities for the last time in his five-year term.
As a preamble to the parade, the Head of State had descended the Champs-Elysées under a gray sky in a “command car” alongside his Chief of Defense Staff, General François Lecointre, who will give up his place in a few days to the current Chief of Staff of the Army, the legionary Thierry Burkhard. After his farewell to arms, the senior officer intends to become a prison visitor.
The 2-hour show ended with a Marseillaise sung by a choir of 120 “committed” young people: military high school students, members of civic service, voluntary or adapted military service, volunteer firefighters.
Last year, the parade was replaced by a static ceremony, without spectators.
It is a welcome moment of unity after so many trials. The July 14 military parade was held this Wednesday in Paris, with the theme “Winning the future”. A special moment for Emmanuel Macron because it is the last of his five-year term. He followed the ceremony from the presidential platform at Place de la Concorde, accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron and the government.
The 2021 edition thus marked the return of troops, flags and armored vehicles to the Champs-Elysées: 5,000 participants, 73 planes, 24 helicopters, 221 vehicles and 200 horses of the Republican Guard participated in the parade.
An emotion that is worth all the health constraints. Indeed, the controls were very strict to approach the parade. The sanitary pass was compulsory for spectators and they had to wear a mask.
In the stands, the gauge was set at 10,000 people, against 25,000 traditionally.
After the air parade opened by the Patrouille de France, which as tradition painted the sky blue-white-red, a contingent of European special forces participating in the “Task Force Takuba” launched the parade on foot on Wednesday morning.
Eight nations (France, Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Portugal, Sweden) contribute to this group initiated by France to accompany Malian forces in combat. Takuba will occupy a central place in the future anti-jihadist system in the Sahel, where Paris intends to reduce its military personnel after eight years of presence.
The French operation Barkhane in the Sahel, which now mobilizes more than 5,000 soldiers, will end “in the first quarter of 2022”, the French president said on Tuesday.
In the evening, a fireworks display made the Parisian sky sparkle above the Eiffel Tower.
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