The EU flag causes France to quarrel. And Macron removes it from the Arc de Triomphe

Paris, 2 January 2022 – First day of the year, first violent electoral controversy: between the right and Macron is open war a hundred days from presidential (votes are held on 10 and 24 April). Apple of contention in these hours, the decision of replace the national flag for the Arc de Triomphe with that european: a way to remember that from January 1st to June 30th France is rotating president of the European Union. It was Macron himself who gave the order: during the night of December 31, the Eiffel Tower, the National Assembly and the Elysée, lit up in blue (the color of Europe) and on the monument to the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe the banner with the EU stars has been hoisted. An unfortunate choice: if Macron had followed the example of Nicolas Sarkozy, who in 2008 waved the two flags side by side, nothing would have happened. Instead, replacing one with the other was an affront to the right, both the moderate one of Valérie Pécresse and the extremist one of Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen. For two days the storm blew across the web, radio and TV. Before leaving, launch into the rest, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rassemblement, spoke of “provocation”, of “outrage against those who fought for France”, and announced an appeal to the Council of State. Second to take the field, with the same reasons and almost with the same words, another presidential candidate: Valerie Pecresse on behalf of Republicans: “I solemnly ask Emmanuel Macron to put the white-red-blue flag back under the Arc de Triomphe: it is an act due to the fighters who shed their blood for our homeland”. Same bell ringing from Eric Zemmour, also a candidate (extreme right) at the Elysée: “The Arc de Triomphe in the Macron era: also the outrage after the looting and packaging”: allusion to the attack of the yellow vests in 2018 and to the installation made a few weeks ago by the artist Bulgarian Christo.

The fact is that yesterday the EU flag was removed from the Arch. “We respected the scheduled timing, it was only supposed to fly there on December 31 and January 1”, commented the Minister for European Affairs Clément Beaune. Macron’s enemies saw the removal of the “drapeau” as a success, “a great patriotic victory – said Marine Le Pen – due to the massive mobilization of all lovers of France and the Republic”.
The replica of Working, the party of the president, was not long in coming: “The European flag and the blue lights were expected only for a few days. This controversy is absolutely ridiculous and Valérie Pécresse’s ‘copy-and-paste’ with a few hours delay on Marine Le Pen’s tweet speaks volumes “, Clément Beaune joked.” The EU flag is the symbol of the overcoming exacerbated nationalisms that have unleashed so many wars in the Old Continent: it is obvious that nationalists, of whatever race they are, detest it “, added the Socialist MEP Raphael Glucksmann.

The fact that France is president of the EU during the electoral period irritates the right, which accuses Macron, not yet an officially candidate, of taking advantage of the situation. Macron he knows this very well and hits the Europa key more than ever, his real workhorse. “2022 must be the year of the European turning point,” he said in his New Year’s speech, calling for “a powerful and sovereign Europe”. THE surveys seem to agree with him: for the first round is always in the lead (20%), followed by Pécresse (16%), of the Marine Le Pen and by Eric Zemmour (both between 13 and 14%). But al second round, if the right and the discontented of Macron block, things could get complicated.