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Every July 14, the French people honor the storming of the Bastille prison, the event that definitively marked the fall of King Louis XVI and opened a revolutionary era.
On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron led the Parisian traditional military parade on the occasion of July 14, the date celebrating the storming of the Bastille and the triumph of the French Revolution in 1789.
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Over 5,000 militaries marched down the Champs-Elysees avenue, and 73 planes drew the city's sky with blue, white, and red, the colors of the French flag. On this occasion, however, there was no foreign president invited to the gallery of authorities. Only 10,000 citizens saw the parade from the avenue’s sidewalks.
To attend the event, citizens had to pass security checks and carry a health certificate to certify they were either already vaccinated against COVID-19 or did not have the disease.
This certificate will also be required on those citizens who want to witness the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower’s outskirts on Wednesday night. This event’s capacity will be limited to 15,000 spectators.
#OnThisDay in 1789, Bastille Day: the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. The prison contained only seven inmates at the time of its storming, but was seen by the revolutionaries as a symbol of the monarchy's abuse of power. pic.twitter.com/2Li3ac8hiE
— Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) July 14, 2021
The traditional fireworks outside Paris and “firefighter dances” were also canceled for the second year in a row.
Every July 14, the French people honor the storming of the Bastille prison, the event that definitively marked the fall of King Louis XVI and opened a revolutionary era. The struggle for "Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity" thus became the inspiration for liberal and progressive movements worldwide.
As of Wednesday morning, France had reported 5,820,849 COVID-19 cases and 111,407 related deaths. President Macron aims to speed up vaccination, as the extremely contagious delta variant is present in the country.
#France | Parisians reject the rise of the extreme right. pic.twitter.com/cSSNDt8DIT
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) June 12, 2021
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