Gaze is on Trump as French leader Macron airs fears on the dangers of nationalism
WORLD leaders solemnly marked the end of the slaughter of the First World War 100 years ago at commemorations that drove home the message “never again” but also exposed the globe’s new political fault lines.
As Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and dozens of other heads of state and government listened in silence, French President Emmanuel Macron used the occasion, as its host, to sound a warning about the fragility of peace and the dangers of nationalism.
“The old demons are rising again, ready to complete their task of chaos and of death,” Mr Macron told those gathered in Paris yesterday.
“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” he said. “In saying ‘Our interests first, whatever happens to the others’, you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important — its moral values.”
Donald Trump, ostensibly the main target of Macron’s message, sat stony-faced.
The US President has proudly declared himself a nationalist. But if Mr Trump felt singled out by Mr Macron’s remarks, he did not show it. He later described the commemoration as “very beautiful”.
As well as spelling out the horrific costs of conflict to those with arsenals capable of waging a third world war, the ceremony also served up a joyful reminder of the intense sweetness of peace.
The Paris weather, grey and damp, seemed fitting when remembering a war fought in mud and relentless horror.
Mr Macron recalled that one billion shells fell on France alone from 1914 to 1918 .
As bells marking the Armistice hour rang across Paris and in many nations ravaged by the four years of carnage, Mr Macron and other leaders, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, were still on their way to the centennial site at the Arc de Triomphe.
Under a sea of black umbrellas, a line of leaders led by Mr From left: King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Melania and US President Donald Trump, Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, wife Brigitte, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Australia Governor-General Peter Cosgrove
Macron and his wife Brigitte marched in silence on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees, after leaving their buses.
Mr Trump arrived separately in a motorcade that drove past three topless protesters with anti-war slogans on their chests who somehow got through the rows of security and who were quickly bundled away by police.
Last to arrive was Russian President Mr Putin, who shook Mr Trump’s hand and flashed him a thumbs-up. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was positioned in pride of place between Mr Trump and Mr Macron, an eloquent symbol of victors and vanquished now standing together, shoulder to shoulder.