Tag: NORMANDY

Journalists Surprised D-Day Veterans Support President Donald Trump

Trump D-Day veterans (Sean Gallup / Getty)

By Joel B. Pollak

Journalists were surprised to learn Thursday, on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, that many of the American veterans of that historic battle support President Donald Trump.

The common theme in the media was that Trump is challenging the transatlantic alliances that were forged during the march to victory in the Second World War.

USA Today, for example, published a story on the eve of the commemoration that declared: “[W]hile the ceremony will honor the sacrifices made on June 6, 1944, some fear Trump’s ‘America First’ presidency and the international drama he has carried with him as he begins his third trip to France will complicate the hallowed observance.”

Whatever “some fear[ed]” was not shared widely among veterans of D-Day, as France24 discovered. In a story titled, “Trump the transatlantic nightmare? Not for these D-Day vets,” the news agency documented the reasons many of the veterans who traveled to Normandy for the commemoration support President Trump, including his commitment to American strength, his policies for veterans, and his no-nonsense problem-solving approach.

France24 reported:

Trump was given a warm welcome by the veterans as he arrived for the 75th anniversary ceremony with French President Emmanuel Macron.

…

[T]hey praise a president who they seeing as doing what it takes to get results on the home front.

But perhaps most importantly, they cite the Trump administration’s push to let millions of vets facing long waits at state-run facilities seek private care instead — paid for by the government.

…

Trump’s uncompromising stances get traction in particular with the generation for whom duty to country meant braving a hail of Nazi bullets on the Normandy coast.

Read the full France24 article here.

Trump’s speech at the D-Day commemoration also received unusually high marks from American Journalists present. CNN’s Jim Acosta, among others, said: “No matter what I think about the current President of the United States, he said the right thing at Normandy.”

0

‘Journalists come down’: Yellow Vests chant ‘fake news’ outside French TV station (VIDEOS)

Capture

Dozens of Yellow Vest protesters have descended on the headquarters of France’s BFM TV channel accusing the station of broadcasting “fake news” and calling for the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.

The demonstrators arrived at the offices in Paris around an hour after the gathering was announced on Facebook. There was already a heavy police presence at the building in the city’s 15th arrondissement when the crowd formed.

One of the protesters told RT France that BFM TV spreads false information about the movement, alleging that the channel purposefully underplays the size of its demonstrations.

AFP is reporting that “several hundred” Yellow Vests gathered outside the headquarters and Police used tear gas grenades on the crowd after the protesters lobbed projectiles in their direction.

The group reportedly chanted “journalists come down”, “fake news” and “Macron out”.

Riot police also fired tear gas during clashes in Rouen in Normandy and in Nantes in western France on Saturday, which is the seventh week of the mass rallies that have divided the country since the movement sprang up in November.

ALSO ON RT.COMTear gas fired as Yellow Vests and police clash in French city of Rouen (VIDEOS)

Official turnout numbers have dropped significantly on earlier weeks but organizers say the dip is due to the holiday season. The protesters say the movement will continue to grow in 2019 and plans are underway for New Year’s Eve protests.

The rallies initially began as a demonstration against fuel hikes but have since morphed into a broad rejection of Macron’s policies. On Thursday a group of about 40 Yellow Vests tried to storm the medieval fort of Bregancon that serves as the president’s official summer retreat.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

1

Tear gas fired as Yellow Vests and police clash in French city of Rouen (VIDEOS)

Yellow Vests in Rouen as the street fills with tear gas.

French police have deployed tear gas in a bid to quell Yellow Vest protesters in a tense stand-off in the city of Rouen in Normandy.

Demonstrations quickly spiralled out of control in the northern French city on Saturday as protesters and riot police clashed in the streets of the picturesque town.

Journalist Simon Louvet, who is in Rouen, tweeted: “The GJ (Gilet Jaunes) are in the streets around Jeanne D’Arc Street and are gassed, they flee running and regroup.”are gassed, they flee running and regroup.”

The protesters also set fire to the entrance of the local office of the Bank of France, the country’s central bank.

Away from the violence, a large group of protesters also marched through the streets, waving French flags and chanting slogans.

Paris, the scene of the most dramatic demonstrations since the rallies began in November, was significantly quieter than previous weeks but it also saw dozens of Yellow Vests gathered on Champs-Elysees on Saturday.

On Thursday, a group of the protesters attempted to storm the Mediterranean castle that serves as President Emmanuel Macron’s summer retreat.

The weeks of demonstrations have polarized France. The movement began as rallies against fuel-price hikes, but it soon morphed into nationwide protests against government policies.

The fuel hikes were scrapped by the government but people have continued to demand more concessions, including lower taxes and even Macron’s resignation.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑