Anger as French are accused of hijacking Passchendaele tribute
FRENCH officials have been accused of “hijacking” the Passchendaele commemorations to claim the EU had delivered peace and stability.
Diplomats saw the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War bloodbath as an “opportunity” to hail the achievements of the bloc.
A statement was released hours after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales marked the centenary of the battle at in Belgium.
The French Embassy in London faced a furious backlash for suggesting the ridiculed political and economic union was responsible for a climate of peace.
A message on its official Twitter account was sent linked to a video in which war poem In Flanders Fields was read. It said: “We commemorate Passchendaele. An opportunity to cherish peace, unity and solidarity brought by the EU.”
The post was described as “deeply offensive to all Allied Forces who gave the ultimate sacrifice” amid calls on the embassy to apologise.
MEP Steven Woolfe said: “I am disgusted the French could hijack a commemoration for those who laid down their lives to ensure peace and freedom came to Europe. It’s a disgraceful attempt to rewrite history and shows the kind of insular nationalism that sits at the heart of the European project.”
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, also courted controversy by describing the EU as a “project of peace”, saying it was “more than the single market”.
He added: “Europe is a project of peace. Europe is our future. Only united can we succeed in protecting our interests and defending our values.”
But Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart, a former British Army officer and UN commander in Bosnia, said: “Nato preserves the peace in Europe not the EU. Those people who are frantically pro-EU will always maintain security comes into it. I don’t agree.”
On Twitter, Oliver Shanks replied to the French comments. He said: “My grandfather fought in the First World War at the Somme and survived. He would be disgusted.” Another message said: “This is a disgusting attempt at rewriting history and politicising the sacrifice millions made. You should be ashamed.”
French Embassy spokeswoman Aurelie Bonal said: “We measure the role the Allied nations played in securing victory in both world wars and we are immensely grateful for the sacrifice. We also consider peace a long-term project which, in our opinion, was made possible across the continent through the EU project.”