France experienced humiliation when demonstrators stole flags and defaced the town with anti-Macron graffiti before the D-Day commemorations.
A calamity occurred at Plumelec, Brittany, just before the arrival of global leaders commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the Special Air Service (SAS) D-Day heroes at Plumelec, the location where the first Allied soldier of the war was fatally attacked by German soldiers on June 6, 1944.
Security troops were deployed extensively around Brittany and Normandy in preparation for the commemorations, which were visited by foreign leaders of state.
Stéphane Chavaux, the leader of a gendarmerie group, affirmed their preparedness to address any potential danger and emphasized their willingness to use force if required.
A team of eighty bomb disposal specialists, including divers, were conducting inspections on the Normandy beaches to locate and neutralize any explosives. Additionally, a total of 43,000 troops, police officers, and gendarmes were sent to the area, while surface-to-air missiles were positioned around the northern coast of France.
However, according to a spokesperson from the town hall, all of the flags intended for the event were stolen. A notable bus shelter has also been vandalized with graffiti mocking the President of France. Writings expressing anti-Macron sentiments were visible throughout the debris.
The spokesperson expressed their dismay and condemnation of the theft and damage that occurred. They said that the video security footage has been reviewed and will aid in identifying the individuals responsible for these reprehensible actions. Accountable individuals shall face legal action and receive appropriate consequences, regardless of whether they are of legal age or underage.
The suspects reportedly included Brittany nationalists who oppose the centralization of power in Paris.
Macron delivered a speech in Plumelec, where he commemorated the valorous acts of the Free French troops who served as members of Britain’s esteemed SAS.
The men were among the first to parachute into Brittany as part of Operation Overlord, the Allies’ collective endeavor to initiate the liberation of France.
Their objective was to impede the transfer of German reinforcements from Brittany to the Normandy beachhead. On June 6, they successfully landed at a location inside the enemy’s territory. However, they discovered that they were in close proximity to an enemy surveillance post.
Squadron members were either killed or captured while they were in the process of collecting their equipment.