France's 11 November ceremonies: Macron, Le Pen, Mélenchon between memory and pacifism
Marking the 108th anniversary of the 1918 armistice, Emmanuel Macron led the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, while Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon chose symbolic venues to deliver their messages months before the presidential election.
On November 11, France paid tribute to the end of World War I through solemn ceremonies across the country, attended by political figures, military personnel, veterans, and citizens. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron honored the fallen at the Arc de Triomphe, reviewing troops and extinguishing the flame of the Unknown Soldier, before reflecting on the lives lost since the start of the year.
Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen, the presidential hopeful from the National Rally party, chose to commemorate the day in her constituency of Pas-de-Calais, where she highlighted the importance of preserving national unity and collective memory. Finally, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party, opted for a pacifist approach, visiting a monument in Gentioux-Pigerolles that reads "Cursed be war," and urging the nation to learn from the past to prevent future conflicts.
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