President Emmanuel Macron said it was not the time for divisive politics. Remarkably, the country agreed.
By James McAuley James McAuley Foreign correspondent focusing on French and European politics and culture Email Bio Follow April 17 at 3:02 PM PARIS — The centuries have thrown almost everything at Notre Dame. And, in turn, the scenes that have played out in front of the cathedral carry the weight of the city’s collective consciousness: plagues, revolution, the humiliation of occupation, the joy of liberation.
“I’m not certain that all of these French fractures will heal, and we’ve certainly known many since Charlie Hebdo and the Nov. 13 attacks,” said Alain Finkielkraut, a prominent conservative intellectual and radio host who often finds himself at the center of France’s culture wars. Every Saturday since mid-November, the elegant boulevards of Paris have been on lockdown during the “yellow vest” demonstrations, one of the most violent political protest movements France has known since the student revolts of 1968.
Every few months, a new controversy will erupt over something as seemingly trivial as a runner’s hijab. The same cast of professional intellectuals will appear on television talk shows to deliver warring orations on secularism, pluralism, and what they call the soul of “la France profonde.” For Moïsi, Notre Dame is a symbol everyone understands and whose destruction is visible for all to see.On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron was due to deliver a long-anticipated address on the results of a two-month national conversation inspired by the grievances of the yellow vests. The speech was called off as the world watched helplessly as Notre Dame burned.On Tuesday, Macron said that any mention of politics would be inappropriate.
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