Bordeaux - Dozens of people were arrested for booing the President of the Republic during the ceremony to commemorate the armistice of November 11, 1918. Calls to disrupt the event had been circulating on the Internet since Sunday.
Bordeaux – Dozens of people were arrested for booing the President of the Republic during the ceremony to commemorate the armistice of November 11, 1918. Calls to disrupt the event had been circulating on the Internet since Sunday.
November 11 is a national holiday in France, commemorating the agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. Traditionally, the French President gives a speech and honors veterans on this occasion. This morning, however, the ceremony was disturbed by hundreds of people booing Francçois Hollande as he arrived at the Arc the Triomphe. Slogans against the head of state such as “Hollande Resign!” and “Socialist Dictatorship” were heard.
Among those protesting were the so-called “Bonnets Rouges,” a protest movement from Brittany gathering people who are angry at the number of factories that are closing, especially in the food and agriculture industries.
Among others protesting were members of extreme right-wing groups and the people who remains opposed to a law passed in May, legalizing gay marriage and adoption in France.
The police quickly responded to the attacks and arrested about 70 people.
Heated exchanges between protestors and those who were upset that the ceremony had been disrupted followed. François Hollande and the Minister of Interior Manuel Valls left immediately at the end of the ceremony in order to avoid more confrontation.
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