Macron warns about nationalism at gathering of leaders
WORLD leaders 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 said.
“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.”
President Trump, who has proudly declared himself to be a nationalist, sat stony-faced.
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.
High-school students read from letters that soldiers and civilians wrote 100 years ago when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front.
“I only hope the soldiers who died for this cause are looking down upon the world today,” American soldier Captain Charles S Normington wrote on November 11, 1918, in one of the letters.
“The whole world owes this moment of real joy to the heroes who are not here to help enjoy it.”
After bells marking the hour of the Armistice rang out across Paris and in many nations, Mr Macron and other leaders headed to the Arc de Triomphe.
Under a sea of black umbrellas, a line of leaders led by Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte, marched in silence on the cobbles of the ChampsElysees, after leaving their buses.
Mr Trump arrived separately in a motorcade. Last to arrive was the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who shook Mr Trump’s hand and flashed him a thumbs-up.