A big European Union flag hooked up to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Friday to mark the beginning of France’s six-month presidency of the bloc was eliminated on Sunday after it drew outrage from far-right and right-wing leaders.
Junior European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune, who on Friday had mentioned the flag would stay for “a number of days”, mentioned it had been taken down as deliberate.
“It was scheduled that the flag was to be taken down this Sunday, we hadn’t established a precise time”, Beaune instructed France Inter radio.
He dismissed the concept the federal government had given in after far-right chief Marine Le Pen on Saturday mentioned she would attraction to France’s Council of State to take away the EU flag.
“The federal government has been pressured to take away the EU flag from the Arc de Triomphe, an exquisite patriotic victory initially of 2022″, Le Pen mentioned on Sunday.
“We didn’t again down, there was no change of plan …I absolutely assume France’s future is in Europe,” Beaune mentioned.
He mentioned Le Pen and different leaders had acquired all of it improper after they mentioned the EU flag had supplanted the French flag because the latter just isn’t completely displayed on the Arc de Triomphe.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has but to say if he’ll run for re-election in April, defeated Le Pen in a 2017 run-off by 66%-34%.
Most polls present there shall be a rematch between the 2 within the upcoming presidential election, with Macron anticipated to win once more, albeit with a slimmer margin.
(Reuters)