Special envoy to Strasbourg,
To discover
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Except for one detail, it's the same forest of flags.
The one who quivered five years ago in Emmanuel Macron's meetings to underline his European commitment.
Except that this time, alongside the French and European flags waving at the foot of Strasbourg Cathedral, another is added: Ukrainian.
It is no coincidence that the outgoing president chose this city for his first meeting between the two rounds of the presidential campaign.
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This is where, twenty-seven years ago, François Mitterrand issued a warning in his testamentary speech to the European Parliament:
“Nationalism is war”.
Emmanuel Macron quotes the former socialist president from the start of his speech, despite the few
"anarchist" activists, "far right and far left"
according to him, who try to prevent him from speaking by insulting him.
They are quickly evacuated.
“We are lucky to live in a democracy.
You couldn't do that in Hungary”,
notes in passing Emmanuel Macron before resuming his ode to Europe and his charge against Marine Le Pen.
“The far-right candidate proposes a nationalist project,
he underlines.
And so yes, the project of the far right is a project to leave the Council of Europe
.
This is another issue of the presidential election.
Because
"this election is also a referendum on Europe"
, judge Emmanuel Macron.
He supports her, Marine Le Pen criticizes her.
“Nationalism is war”
So he dwells at length on the progress of the Union on the continent, even if it means going back very far.
“Our Europe for millennia lived only wars.
Our Europe has been structured by its civil wars,
he recalls.
Europe has failed so many times to collapse because of fratricidal wars between nationalists”.
The syllogism is obvious but Emmanuel Macron does not go so far as to formulate it to the end: Marine Le Pen is a nationalist, nationalism is war, therefore Marine Le Pen is war.
That's the idea.
But
"dreams of empire return",
adds the outgoing president in reference to Vladimir Putin and his offensive on Ukraine.
Way to recall in hollow the favorable declarations launched by Marine Le Pen with regard to the master of the Kremlin.
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But it is also Hungary that Emmanuel Macron has in his sights.
Because on Victor Orban either, Marine Le Pen is full of praise.
So he still targets the far right and its rival.
“Methodically, gradually, as we do in Hungary, it degrades rights.
What she wants to do is what we see in Hungary
.
And he warns:
"Don't get used to it and don't allow projects to take hold which, without saying so, or by saying so, offer to leave Europe, trample it under foot, weaken it".
The only way out, according to him, to ward off the prospect of a conflict: Europe.
“It is in Europe, when war returns that we can work for peace,
he pleads.
Europe is a framework of peace and stability, it is our surest asset for today and tomorrow.
Europe is what protects us from crises and war”
.
Much more than a choice of society therefore, a choice of civilisation.
Also way to dramatize the issue of the presidential election.
