Paris: Anti-Trump/Anti-Macron Protests on Bastille Day

July 15, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

On July 14, anti-Trump/anti-Macron protesters marched in the streets of Paris. The demonstration took place on Bastille Day—Trump was an honored guest at the military parade on this national holiday, which marks a turning point in the French Revolution. People were protesting Trump’s two-day visit to Paris to meet with France’s president, Emmanuel Macron.

This was a meeting of two reactionary heads of state who share much in common in terms of their reactionary anti-people programs and imperialist wars of empire. There is the fascist Trump, who is rapidly implementing and extending an extreme fascist program every single day. And then there is Macron—who defeated the openly fascist Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections in May. But Macron’s victory was in no way a victory for progress, nor did it remove the danger of fascism. The election normalized the fascist right wing in France and further legitimized its efforts to reach political power. And Macron’s program represents the continuation and acceleration of right-wing politics in France and internationally. He has pledged, among many other things, to rapidly remove rejected asylum seekers, throw many more petty lawbreakers into prison, and slash civil service jobs, social benefits, and social protection.

Trump’s meeting with Macron represented further efforts of the Trump/Pence regime to promote its fascist program internationally and cement the commitment of other imperialist countries to join in this reactionary agenda.

On Thursday, July 13, hundreds of protesters set up a “Trump-free zone” at the Place des États-Unis, a former site of the U.S. Embassy. Then on July 14, according to news reports, there were clashes between protesters and riot police who tried to block the streets and prevent the march from continuing. The police used tear gas and tried push back protesters, but after a stalemate, the cops pulled back and had to let the march continue.

There was a diverse range of anti-Trump activists, including pro-Palestinian groups, migrants’ rights activists, environmentalists, antiwar activists, and antifascists. Marchers chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.” Many of those marching also came to protest Macron and his right-wing, anti-people policies, like his moves against workers’ rights.

The Independent quoted two tourists from the USA who attended the protest. A woman: “We feel he does not represent us, we don’t want people to think that he does and we’re doing everything we can to get him out office.” Her friend called Trump “hostile to the planet,” and said that when Trump withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, this was the “icing on the cake.”

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