100th yr anniversary of WWI marked with solemn ceremonies around the world
Solemn ceremonies took place around the world Sunday to mark 100 years to the day since the Armistice that saw the end of World War I.
Members of the public, military veterans, world leaders and royals took part in memorials around the globe to remember the 8.5 million people who gave their lives between 1914 and 1918.
French President Emmanuel Macron led the international Armistice Day commemorations Sunday morning by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which lies at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris.
Moroccan King Mohammed VI, US first lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
During his address, Macron, who has emerged as Europe’s most vocal sentry against a global tide of nationalism — repeated his warnings.
“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism,” he said through a translator. “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. 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. They are ready to wreak chaos and death,” he said. “History sometimes threatens to take its sinister course once again.”
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were among those in Paris for the commemorations, which coincide with Veterans Day in the United States. Some 117,000 American military personnel died in World War I.
Trump’s arrival wasn’t as smooth as expected, being disrupted by a topless protester who ran towards the US President’s motorcade as it was approaching the Arc de Triomphe. The woman, who had the words “fake” and “peace” scrawled across her bare chest was eventually apprehended by security officials.
The US President also faced criticism after the White House canceled a planned trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, 50 miles outside Paris, on Saturday due to “scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather.”