The parade on Bastille Day was held as usual in Paris, but in a very abridged version: the Concorde square, surrounded by bleachers for visitors. Limitations associated with the coronavirus, is not allowed to go to the Elysian Fields, nor the connections in the infantry March, or military machines. As announced in advance, the parade was dedicated to the doctors and all those who recent months fought the epidemic in the country and abroad. Says the correspondent of “Kommersant” in France Alexey Tarhanov.The Champs elysées was deserted. Usually on 14 July, the day of the national holiday, people gathered here early in the morning to get the best seats along the fence. This time the street was closed, and to watch it was not for that. All celebrations at place de La Concorde, entrance by invitation only, which received only 2.5 million people, including 1.4 thousand physicians, who have struggled with the virus. Among the guests were soldiers of the “second line”. Everyone who had to stay in the line when the French boarded our homes: cashiers of supermarkets, officials of the prefectures, police, postmen, funeral agents.The largest square in Paris with its 8.6 hectares previously was the end point of the parade: the military marched towards the presidential podium, installed in front of the entrance to the Elysian Fields on the border of the Tuileries garden. In addition to the usual centrally positioned under the awning in the colors of the national flag at this time, the entrance to the main road was flanked with two tribunes for guests. The President has not canceled its usual fare in the car, but changed the route. Instead of a descent along the Champs Elysees from the arc de Triomphe, the President and his accompanying senior military officers (including military Governor of Paris Bruno Le ray) chose the path on the bridge over the Seine towards Concorde from the National Assembly. In front of the portico of the National Assembly the head of state moved to an open military vehicle, which arrived to the area, unlike all the other chiefs, who came in civilian vans.The President welcomed the National guard unit tasseled cap, which met his “Marseillaise” as well as all military gathered in the square small units: cadets of St. Cyr, with plumes and red pants, students, officers of the Polytechnic school in three-cornered hats, firemen in gleaming helmets, the sailors in black uniforms with white caps and ramasami, pilots in blue uniforms, youth cadet school, medical, hazmat units, military railroad, the Legionnaires in front of white cap.Many of them were involved in military action, which now leads to hot spots of France, and even more in the fight against the virus, which is required from the country huge financial and human toll. Military doctors worked in field hospitals, whichwhich unfolded to relieve the hospitals in the East of the country. The pilots evacuated the sick, the sailors used the helicopter type “Mistral” as hospital ships. This was the so-called operation Resilience announced by the President on 25 March, it was attended by all sorts of forces: land, air, Navy, and national gendarmerie.The parade began with a ceremony in honor of the founder of the Fifth Republic General Charles de Gaulle. At the same time and celebrate the 130th anniversary of birth and 50th anniversary of the death, and the 80th anniversary of his call to the French on the waves of radio of London. In the General’s memory to the area brought two Second world tank Museum — medium Somua S35 and B1 giant, with whom the 48-year-old Colonel de Gaulle tried to stop the Germans on the outskirts of Paris.Fighters “the French patrol” painted in the sky white, blue and red stripes. Hosted the air parade: among the 52 involved vehicles were planes and helicopters involved in the supply of medical equipment and recovery of patients, as well as two British fighter Typhoon (in honor of the British allies of de Gaulle).Photo: ReutersПорадовал gathered pass band of the Foreign Legion. In his slow rhythm (Legionnaires do 80 steps per minute against the normal 120), they marched past the grandstand to the sounds of the March, the drum-major tossed a stack and caught him, and in the center of the orchestra swayed decorated with horsehair bronze “Chinese cap” with bells — a traditional tool of foreign players, like bagpipe from the Scottish Fusiliers. In the ranks carried the flags of the four neighboring countries became allies of France in the fight against the epidemic and provided the French place in their intensive care wards. Bearers were Germans, Austrians, Swiss and even four brave members of the armed forces of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.At some point over the square took off running from the roof of a neighboring house a bunch of balloons with banners “Economy is life” and “Thanks to the doctors, Makron strangling hospitals.”When the military left the area, began the ceremony to honor physicians. A huge national flag unfurled in front of the presidential podium. Next came the doctors, and Emmanuel macron applauded them along with the politicians surrounding him. Then he, along with his wife Brigitte Makron came down to the square and began to thank everyone who stood in the ranks, and then began to circumvent the podium and say “thank you” to the sellers and reservists, nurses and doctors, social workers and teachers — all invited. For the longest time the President stayed among the relatives of the dead physicians. In the fight against the virus has infected 50 thousand health workers, 47 of them said goodbye to life. Here, the President had to forget about social distance and stroke on the shoulder cryingtheir women. No, it was not exactly the victory parade.
