The fourteenth of July is the day when the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille, also considered the beginning of the French Revolution. This year’s holiday is mainly dominated by the riots of recent weeks, the heaviest in recent years. And so Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has taken steps to ensure the safety of party-goers.
De Vries calls the measures “exceptional”. ‘In many towns and villages, celebrations, especially the fireworks that go on in the evening, have been cancelled. So it will be quite calm in much of the country this holiday.’
No trust
According to De Vries, the fact that measures are needed even in smaller towns and villages has to do with the fact that the unrest in recent weeks has spread across the country. “Conflicts are normally concentrated around the big cities of Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Now that’s not the case, many mayors want to be careful’.
According to De Vries, the mayors fear new revolts. To prevent the situation from getting out of hand, tens of thousands of policemen have taken to the streets since last night and tonight trams and buses are no longer running in most of France. President Macron has warned that tough action will be taken in case of new riots. “These are pretty harsh measures. It is actually sad that this is necessary on the occasion of a national holiday and that the French state no longer has faith in its citizens”.
De Vries is expecting a relatively quiet evening. ‘July 14th is not a big holiday, it’s pretty quiet in Paris right now. There will no doubt be some incidents and rioting tonight, but the cancellation of the festivities will likely keep things calmer. ‘
One hundred days of recovery
President Macron refrains from addressing the people. The ‘hundred days of recovery’ of his presidency also ended today, says De Vries, which Macron proclaimed in April after the riots over the pension reform. “Actually he wanted to present his policy again and talk to the French, but in the last few weeks he has failed noticeably.”
Macron will be interviewed in the coming days about his promised 100 days of change. “I think he has little to say,” says De Vries. “He will mainly concern the unrest in the suburbs and the unrest in French society in general.”