Macron booed at Bastille Day celebrations

French president gets icy reception on arrival at national day parade.

French President Emmanuel Macron was given an icy reception as he arrived at the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris on Sunday.

As Macron rode down the Champs-Elysées in Paris to open the traditional annual military parade, protesters standing on the sidewalks booed him in an audible and sustained manner.

It’s rare for political protests to take place during the parade, the focal point of celebrations across the country to mark France’s national day. Macron’s approval ratings have improved in recent weeks alongside a drop in participation in the anti-government Yellow Jacket movement.

The parade itself proceeded as planned, as Macron sought to illustrate European unity, including forces from the Paris-based European Intervention Initiative, made up of troops from a range of EU countries.

Macron also hosted other European leaders at lunch afterward, including Germany’s Angela Merkel, the Netherlands’ Mark Rutte, Belgium’s Charles Michel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The U.K. was represented by Prime Minister Theresa May’s effective deputy, David Lidington.

But protests escalated after the parade in some of the worst clashes between demonstrators and police since March, according to French media. Officers fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowd as protesters shouted anti-government chants, lit trash bins on fire and knocked down security barriers. Protesters were not wearing yellow vests, though some had yellow balloons, after police had blocked people wearing the garment from going past barriers.

Police had arrested 152 people earlier in the day before the bigger clashes, according to AFP.

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