France scales down Bastille Day parade in concession to COVID-19

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France scales down Bastille Day parade in concession to COVID-19

Celebrations include a homage to health workers and others fighting the outbreak

Published: July 14, 2020 15:28 Reuters and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY42 — Paris: France held a scaled-down annual Bastille Day celebration on Tuesday, with none of the usual tanks and troops parading down Paris's Champs Elysees avenue, in a concession to the COVID-19 epidemic still stalking Europe. Image Credit: AFP

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY — Instead, President Emmanuel Macron, standing in the back of a military jeep, reviewed ranks of socially-distanced troops in the Place de la Concorde square after a flypast by military aircraft. Image Credit: Reuters

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY344 — "I wish, with all the French, with the armies themselves, to pay a vibrant tribute to health workers and those who, in all sectors, have enabled public, social and economic life to continue," Macron said in message released ahead of the parade. Image Credit: Reuters

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY33 — "The dedication, tenacity, courage, solidarity that emerged strongly everywhere, in our cities as in our countryside, command admiration." It is the first time since 1980 that the annual parade has not been held along the Champs Elysees. Image Credit: Reuters

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY32 — Spectators on Tuesday were not allowed near Place de la Concorde, Paris' largest square, to avoid the spread of the disease that has killed at least 30,000 people in France. Image Credit: Reuters

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY66 — The parade kicked off with the traditional flypast by the country's air force, with acrobatic jets trailing blue, white and red smoke. Dignitaries in the reviewing stands were seated at a distance from each other. Image Credit: Reuters

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY4 — Bastille Day, or the French National Day, dates back to the 1789 revolution. On that day, citizens stormed the Bastille fortress, which was used to detain prisoners and had become a symbol of the harsh rule of the French monarchy. Image Credit: AP

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY22 — Traditionally, the national holiday is rounded off with a fireworks display, with thousands of people gathering in the area around the Eiffel Tower to watch. Image Credit: AP

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY54 — The fireworks will go ahead this year, but the parkland around the tower will be closed to the public. Image Credit: AFP

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY1 — A Somua S35 Tank parades during the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Image Credit: AFP

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WEB-200714-BASTILLE-DAY432 — French Char B1 tank from WWII take part in the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Image Credit: AFP

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Copy-of-2020-07-14T100515Z_1788054429_RC2YSH9JRFDL_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-NATIONALDAY-PARADE-(Read-Only) — Alpha jets from the French Air Force Patrouille de France fly past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, next to Le Louvre museum. Image Credit: Reuters

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Copy-of-2020-07-14T102952Z_1615175913_RC2YSH9BA32X_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-NATIONALDAY-PARADE-(Read-Only) — Army officer cadets take part in the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Image Credit: Reuters

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Copy-of-2020-07-14T104541Z_1815655454_RC2YSH9ZC3PF_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-NATIONALDAY-PARADE-(Read-Only) — French President Emmanuel Macron and French Prime Minister Jean Castex attend the Bastille Day military parade. Image Credit: Reuters

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Copy-of-2020-07-14T102440Z_1714444387_RC2YSH97FF8F_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-NATIONALDAY-PARADE-(Read-Only) — Fire fighters take part in the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Image Credit: Reuters

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