NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Armistice Day: Macron's rebuke to Trump at WWI remembrance

By David Nakamura, Seung Min Kim, James McAuley
Washington Post·
11 Nov, 2018 06:10 PM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

US President Donald Trump, second left, watches as French President Emmanuel Macron putting his hand on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's knee during ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe. Photo / AP
US President Donald Trump, second left, watches as French President Emmanuel Macron putting his hand on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's knee during ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump, second left, watches as French President Emmanuel Macron putting his hand on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's knee during ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe. Photo / AP

In the shadow of a grand war memorial in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I by delivering a forceful rebuke against rising nationalism.

He called it a "betrayal of patriotism" and warned against "old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death".

His words during a solemn Armistice Day ceremony under overcast skies at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of the French capital were intended for a global audience.

But they also represented a pointed rebuke to US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and others among the more than 60 world leaders in attendance.

Speaking in French, Macron emphasised that a global order based on liberal values is worth defending against those who have sought to disrupt that system.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The millions of soldiers who died in the Great War fought to defend the "universal values" of France, he said, and to reject the "selfishness of nations only looking after their own interests. Because patriotism is exactly the opposite of nationalism."

Macron has attempted to stand as a vocal counterweight to Trump, who recently called himself a "nationalist" and has moved to set the US apart from global treaties, including the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate accord ad a UN programme for refugees.

Amid growing divisions in Europe that have strained the European Union, Macron defended that institution and the United Nations, declaring that the "spirit of cooperation" has "defended the common good of the world".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"By putting our own interests first, with no regard to others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: its moral values," Macron said.

He denounced fringe ideologies that have become more mainstream, warping religious beliefs and setting loose extremist forces on a "sinister course once again that could undermine the legacy of peace we thought we had forever sealed."

French President @EmmanuelMacron gave a stark warning to world leaders against nationalism, at the Armistice ceremony in Paris. pic.twitter.com/dZlxo1jZJA

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 11, 2018

The powerful remarks came as the world leaders gathered here have sought to mark the 100 years since the war by honouring those who served and died.

Among those who participated were German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Discover more

World

Awkward: Macron leaves Trump looking uncomfortable after knee pat

11 Nov 02:28 AM
World

World leaders gather in Paris a century after WWI armistice

11 Nov 10:49 AM
World

Topless protester leaps at Trump's Paris motorcade

11 Nov 05:49 PM
World

Trump aide contradicts him

11 Nov 06:32 PM

British Prime Minister Theresa May did not attend, remaining in London to preside over a war remembrance there, though she had visited France last week to lay wreaths at military cemeteries and meet Macron. Chinese President Xi Jinping also was not present.

Putin told Russia's RT network after the ceremony that he and Trump spoke during a leaders' luncheon, but a formal meeting would wait until they cross paths at the G-20 Summit in Buenos Aries later this month. Putin said the two leaders agreed to a request from French officials not to overshadow the war remembrance ceremony.

"We are ready for dialogue," said Putin, adding a dig at the Trump Administration for announcing the United States would exit a landmark Cold War arms treaty. "We're not the ones exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty."

New York Times, 100 years ago today: “Armistice Signed, End of the War!" pic.twitter.com/4k8cMaFFxN

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 11, 2018

Ahead of the ceremony, dozens of world leaders dressed in black strode shoulder-to-shoulder along the Champs Elysees toward the Arc. Military jets streaked overhead, emitting red, white and blue smoke, the colours of France.

Trump and Putin did not participate in the processions. The group, which had first gathered at the Elysee Palace, had come to the Arc on tour buses along the 70m-wide boulevard. Bells at Notre Dame cathedral tolled at 11am local time, marking the signing of the armistice of a war in which 10 million military troops perished.

Trump and Putin took their own motorcades to the event and made separate entrances a few minutes after the main group. A White House spokeswoman said Trump arrived separately due to "security protocols," though she did not elaborate.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trump and Putin shook hands with leaders, assembled on risers at the foot of the monument, and took their own positions. Trump and first lady Melania Trump took spots next to Merkel, while Putin stood next to Macron.

The ceremony could begin.

Vladimir Putin gives Trump a thumbs up at Armistice Day commemorations in Paris. (via Euro News) pic.twitter.com/gYfNbXnwH7

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 11, 2018

To the sound of a military brass band, Macron inspected French troops standing at attention and a choir sang the national anthem. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a solo piece.

For Trump, dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie, the ceremony marked the beginning of a day in which he also attended in a luncheon with the world leaders and then delivered a speech at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial - a day after he skipped a visit to a different cemetery.

At Suresnes, Trump ditched an umbrella and spoke in the rain for 10 minutes, at one point joking that the crowd was "getting drenched".

"It is our duty to preserve the civilisation they defended," Trump said of the 1541 buried there. "We renew our sacred obligation to memorialise our fallen heroes."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He did not address Macron's speech.

What did Armistice Day 1918 look like?

These clips from IWM's Film Archive show people gathered in the Charing Cross area of London to celebrate the end of the war and Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, met by cheering crowds. #ArmisticeDay100

Film Number: IWM 505 & 664a pic.twitter.com/TnEllnfNbz

— Imperial War Museums (@I_W_M) November 11, 2018

The relationship between Trump and Macron has soured as the US President has promoted an "America First" foreign policy that has unsettled allies on trade and defence. Macron has sought to counter some of Trump's agenda and he has organised a three-day Peace Forum that began today, just as Trump headed home to Washington on Air Force One.

For European observers, the commemoration was a somber event - and not exclusively because of the dead it honoured.

In a climate of resurgent nationalism - which has seen upheavals in Rome, Budapest, Warsaw and even London - Macron was alone on the dais, preaching the virtues of multilateralism. Merkel, his most loyal partner in this endeavour, has announced she will soon leave public life.

"Franco-German reconciliation was at the very heart of what we've been seeing together," said Dominique Moisi, a French foreign policy expert at the Paris-based Institute Montaigne and an informal adviser to the Macron campaign.

One hundred years ago today, the world's powers signed an armistice that ended World War 1. Here's how the anniversary was observed around the world. https://t.co/YUITssHb94

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 11, 2018

"But she's out," he said of Merkel, who announced she will step down in 2021. "The spirit in which we are commemorating the events is no longer fully present."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Macron's speech was full of literary allusions, including to the French poets Guillaume Apollinaire and Charles Péguy, both of whom served in World War I. (Péguy was killed in combat in 1914.)

The address also contained a number of historic rebukes. He made a subtle reference to a well-known 1927 French book that decried the elites at the time, who embraced reactionary, nationalistic ideologies at the expense of a rational consensus.

Taking the stage to applause at the Paris Peace Forum, Macron avoided presenting the weekend's event as a success. Instead, he said history would remember the image of multiple world leaders whose countries were once at war gathered in peace under the Arc.

The question, Macron said, was how that image would be interpreted.

"Will it be the symbol of a durable peace among nations?" he asked. "Or, on the contrary, a photograph of a final moment of unity before the world descends into a new disorder?"

To mark the Armistice centenary, the portraits of soldiers who fought and died in World War One have been etched into the shores from which they left and never returned https://t.co/c05PtqPkl4 #ArmisticeDay100 #RemembranceDay2018 pic.twitter.com/kZzIsjqJEQ

— ITV News (@itvnews) November 11, 2018
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Israeli jets hit Syrian forces seeking to quell sectarian clashes in the south

World

Pentagon to begin using Elon Musk's controversial Grok chatbot

World

Four confirmed dead in small plane crash at Southend airport


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

West Indies bowled out for 27 - just beat NZ's record low
Sport

West Indies bowled out for 27 - just beat NZ's record low

Pentagon to begin using Elon Musk's controversial Grok chatbot
World

Pentagon to begin using Elon Musk's controversial Grok chatbot

Four confirmed dead in small plane crash at Southend airport
World

Four confirmed dead in small plane crash at Southend airport

NZ's $32m satellite mission unresponsive, Space Minister silent
New Zealand

NZ's $32m satellite mission unresponsive, Space Minister silent

Median house price falls in Auckland, increases in regions
Business

Median house price falls in Auckland, increases in regions

'A disaster': Govt's new polytechnic plan sparks debate
Education

'A disaster': Govt's new polytechnic plan sparks debate



Latest from World

Israeli jets hit Syrian forces seeking to quell sectarian clashes in the south
World

Israeli jets hit Syrian forces seeking to quell sectarian clashes in the south

At least 18 Syrian troops were reported killed today.

14 Jul 09:44 PM
Pentagon to begin using Elon Musk's controversial Grok chatbot
World

Pentagon to begin using Elon Musk's controversial Grok chatbot

14 Jul 09:21 PM
Four confirmed dead in small plane crash at Southend airport
World

Four confirmed dead in small plane crash at Southend airport

14 Jul 09:20 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search