Tag: France

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French President Macon Trolls Trump On Abandoning Paris Climate Accord – “Make Our Planet Great Again”

President Emmanuel Macon of France

French President Macron denounced Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Check a bit of Macron’s speech today – especially the last line where he trolls the Donald with a twist on his 2016 campaign slogan.

Speaking in English, Macron tells the world to remain “confident” in climate fight.

“We will succeed … [and] make our *planet* great again.”

And here’s a few more reactions via Twitter:

And then there was this on The Weather Channel (click pic to enlarge):

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Emmanuel Macron Projected To Win French Presidency With 65% Of Vote

President-elect Emmanuel Macron

Independent, pro-Europe centrist Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France today, besting far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen by a margin of 65.1% vs. 34.9%.

Le Pen’s candidacy and positions had echoed many of Donald Trump’s, who tacitly endorsed the Islamophobic and xenophobic candidate.

From The Guardian:

The US president told the Associated Press that although he was not “explicitly endorsing” the leader of the Front National, she was the “strongest on borders, and she’s the strongest on what’s been going on in France.”

“Whoever is the toughest on radical Islamic terrorism, and whoever is the toughest at the borders, will do well in the election,” he said.

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Round 1 Of French Presidential Election: Macron 23.7%, Le Pen 21.7%

Via The BBC:

The centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen have won the first round of voting in French presidential elections, projected results say.

Mr Macron won 23.7%, while Ms Le Pen won 21.7%, French TV says.

The two saw off a strong challenge from centre-right François Fillon and the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to the projections.

The pair now face a run-off vote on 7 May.

Most polls show Macron defeating Le Pen in the second round.

Food for thought: if we elected our president by popular vote, as in France, we would have President Hillary Clinton.

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What We Know About The Attack In Nice, France

What we know so far about the deadly attack in Nice, France, last night:

• Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old French Tunisian, drove a truck 1.1 miles zigzagging through a crowd enjoying Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, France.

• While Bouhlel was known to intelligence services, he was not on any watch list.

• Police were eventually able to shoot Bouhlel dead to stop the horrific massacre.

• At this writing there are at least 84 dead, and hundreds injured.

• The truck Bouhlel drove was loaded with arms and grenades. Some were reported to be fake upon inspection.

• France will observe three days of mourning beginning Saturday.

• No terrorist group has come forward yet to claim responsibility for the incident.

• The investigation has been handed over to counter-terrorism experts.

President Barack Obama issued this statement via White House press release:

On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded.

I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice. We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.

On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the two major party presidential candidates, tweeted these statements:

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Take A Moment And Open Your Mind To The Possibility

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BLINDFOLD MUSLIM HUG"Hug me if you trust me, I'm told I'm a terrorist", –Muslim man opens his arms to Parisians#Paris #PlacedelaRepublique #ParisAttacks #Islamophobia #MuslimsAreNotTerroristsPosted by In the NOW on Monday, November 16, 2015

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French President Hollande Promises “Merciless” Response To Terrorist Attacks

From NBC News:

French President Francois Hollande vowed a “merciless” response to the deadliest attacks on the country’s soil since World War II as ISIS claimed responsibility Saturday for a coordinated assault on Paris.

A state of emergency was declared and France deployed 1,500 troops after a near-simultaneous series of explosions and shootings brought the city to a horrified standstill overnight. The death toll rose to 127 and 200 other people were wounded, officials said.

Speaking early Saturday, Hollande pointed the finger at ISIS for orchestrating the “cowardly” attacks which he described as an “act of war committed by a terrorist army” and organized from abroad. He said France remained “unbreakable,” calling for “unity and courage.”

Hollande added: “We will work alongside our allies to fight this terrorist menace … France is strong and even if she is wounded she will get up always and nothing will hold her down, even if we are feeling the grief now … We will defend ourselves.”