As world leaders looked on, French President Emmanuel Macron took a moment in his speech at Armistice Day in France to speak out against the rise of nationalism.
Amongst those in attendance were US president Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” Macron told the crowd. “By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values.”
“I know there are old demons which are coming back to the surface,” added Macron. “They are ready to wreak chaos and death. History sometimes threatens to take its sinister course once again.”
The speech is largely seen as a rebuke of Donald Trump. Trump declared himself a nationalist near the end of November.
“A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. And you know what? We can’t have that,” Trump said at a Houston, Texas rally on the 23rd of October.
“You know, they have a word — it’s sort of became old-fashioned — it’s called a nationalist. And I say, really, we’re not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I’m a nationalist, okay? I’m a nationalist. Nationalist. Nothing wrong. Use that word. Use that word.”
The president did not show an immediate reply, sitting quietly, often with his head down during Macron’s speech. There has not yet been a reply from the White House to Macron’s statements.
Donald Trump has been resoundingly criticized for not taking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I seriously. He skipped out of a visit to an American military cemetery outside of Paris yesterday due to a threatened rainstorm, and did not walk with other world leaders in France today.
View all of Marcon’s speech.
Image via screen capture from video source.