The fact had gone practically unnoticed, but for a year the French flag it’s not the same: French President Emmanuel Macron decided to darken the blue of the tricolor flag. The reason has as much to do with aesthetics as it does with politics.
Now that the news is spreading, everyone realizes that yes, had happened: the French flag that has appeared for a year at official events had changed. The blue darkened.
“The decision to change the color of the French flag was made by the President of the Republic on July 13, 2020”, revealed the radio Europe1, citing the book of Eliot Blondet and Paul Larrouturou Élysée confidentiel, published in September. According to this medium, the president followed the suggestion of two influential advisers from the Elysee Palace.
A nod to the Navy
The chosen shade is navy blue, a nod to the Navy, but above all a political message. Is about a return to the color of the 1793 pavilion, during the year II of the Convention, that is to say that of the French Revolution.
Macrony his wife Brigitte Macron next to the French flag, with a slightly darker blue. Photo: Reuters
The abandonment of navy blue had occurred in 1976 during the presidency of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. At that time head of state had decided lighten the blue by a marial one to get closer to the one that appears on the flag of the European Union.
“He had changed the blue of the flag for aesthetic reasons during the approach to Europe. The flag that all the presidents carried since then was not the true French flag”, says Arnaud Jolens, director of operations of the Elysee and promoter of the return to the original color. .
From the presidential environment they defend navy blue as more elegant and they swear that it is not a question of distancing themselves from the EU a few weeks after France takes the presidency of the block.
“There is no ‘blue war’, it is nonsense,” they said.
The Elysee Palace avoided at the time mentioning the change, perhaps because touching the symbols of the republic is always a delicate matter.
The Elysee, divided
Macron gave the order for the change, but the Elysee did not officially communicate it. Photo: Reuters
Europe 1 political correspondent Louis de Raguenel reported that the Elysee Palace is divided between those who they consider the new flag ugly and they say it collides with the European flag, and others who are attached to seeing the flag of their childhood before the Giscard years.
“No communication was made about this color change, no instructions were given to change or not all the official flags, the Elysee Palace affirms that the approach is an incentive,” wrote De Raguenel.
“Emmanuel Macron’s entourage has no desire to give the image of a president who touches the symbols deepest in the country, although deep down, as you can imagine, there is a meaning behind it all. “
RFI source and The Guardian
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