French President Emmanuel Macron is leading his tenth and final Bastille Day military parade as head of state, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as guest of honor and a notable presence of troops supporting Kyiv against the Russian invasion. The ceremony also included a tribute to the victims of the Nice terrorist attack on its tenth anniversary, an attack that left 86 dead.
The traditional parade along the Champs-Élysées, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, began at around 10:00 local time. The ceremony gathered about 500 soldiers from the so-called Coalition of Volunteers, composed of countries backing Ukraine, as well as roughly 25 Ukrainian servicemembers who marched behind the troops of the coalition member states.
The participation of Ukrainian personnel and allied countries follows a meeting of coalition leaders in Paris the previous day. France and the United Kingdom have promoted this group since last year as a collection of nations ready to take part in a potential European-led multinational force once a ceasefire in Ukraine is established.
On the eve of the parade, Macron delivered his customary address to the armed forces and defended Europe’s commitment to the continent’s security. “The message we send to the world is this: Yes, peace is our goal,” the president said.
Macron added: “Yes, we value freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we are prepared to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary.”
The Élysée Palace also emphasized the political significance of the event. A member of the presidential office said the parade is “a powerful symbol of a Europe that recognizes how dangerous the world is and that must take its fate into its own hands.”
The ceremony took place amid an intense heat wave affecting much of France. Tens of thousands of people were expected to attend the celebrations in central Paris, while a forest fire advanced on the outskirts of the capital and authorities banned fireworks in several areas of the country because of the risk of new blazes.
In addition to the military parade and the aerial display, the national day concluded with another major event: the World Cup semifinal match between France and Spain. The French team sought to return to a final after winning the title in 2018 and losing the 2022 final to Argentina.
Before the sporting event, Macron ordered a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the jihadist attacks that struck the country a decade earlier.
The tribute recalled the July 14, 2016 attack in the Mediterranean city of Nice, when a driver rammed a truck into the crowd leaving the Bastille Day fireworks display. The assault resulted in 86 deaths and more than 400 injuries.
The jihadist group Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attacker, a 31-year-old Tunisian national identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who was shot and killed by police at the scene.
The Nice attack occurred less than a year after the coordinated November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris and its suburbs, which left 130 dead and were the deadliest peacetime terrorist attacks recorded in France.
This year’s edition also marked Macron’s last July 14 parade before the end of his second consecutive term, the maximum allowed under the French Constitution. The president will leave office next year and the political scene is already turning toward the upcoming presidential election.
In that context, far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she intends to run for the presidency for a fourth time, despite a conviction for embezzlement.
(With information from AFP)