In a recent New Year’s speech, French President Emmanuel Macron was criticized by Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, for allegedly marginalizing the French flag.
Philippot expressed his outrage on a social network, accusing Macron of deliberately pushing the national flag into the background and displaying it alongside other flags, including the blue and yellow flag of the European Union.
Philippot interpreted this act as a sign of Macron’s disdain for France. He noted that in past annual addresses, the French flag was prominently placed close to Macron, sometimes accompanied by the EU flag.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on social media that 745 cars were set on fire across the country on New Year’s Eve, with 380 people arrested.
He further noted that compared to the previous year, there was a 10% decrease in the number of cars burned and arrests.
French authorities have mobilized approximately 90,000 police officers nationwide for New Year’s Eve, citing a “very high” level of terrorist threats.
As reported by the European network “Euronews,” the local intelligence chief, Celine Berthon, stated that among the 90,000 deployed officers, about 6,000 will be in Paris.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin mentioned that Paris, where over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations around the famous Champs-Elysées, is a significant focus of the security measures.
