We always have our military in our parades.. they look nice in their uniforms, and the kids love seeing the military vehicles... Victoria, B.C. Canada. Its not a show of force.. its one way we honor the men and women who serve and protect our country.. I didn't think it was unique to only France, China and Russia.. what a silly thought.I am not sure why it would bother anyone, one does not have to stay and watch.

Last year we were in Paris for 14th of July.. we chose to avoid parade area because from previous visits I know the Champs would be packed and truthfully I am over parades in general.. however.. we did enjoy the air show type fly overs the military jets did and we were able to see them while in completely other area of Paris.

I remember when I landed in Athens in 1985.. I had never before seen a solider walking around openly with an automatic gun, I admit it surprised me.. but no one else seemed alarmed so I accepted it as a difference and that was that.. and have since seen them many times in Paris.. under the Eiffel Tower.. various spots. .they don't freak me out.

I have not wandered into a protest as a tourist anywhere.. but I imagine it would depend on protest and the general vibe I got off it.. I don't think I would go out of my way to stay and participate but that's because as a tourist the issue may not concern me( could be like a taxi drivers strike or some such mundane thing) or I may not fully understand issue, or most likely.. I would have better things to do on my holiday like touring about.

The first time we saw a person with a gun was in a pizza place - an armed policeman just out of Boston 1980 - very scarey for us when our police weren't even armed

Actually, automatic weapons carried by the police are usually machine pistols using a 9mm pistol cartridge. These have sufficient power for close range but are less likely to cause collateral damage at a distance or through walls.

Assault (automatic) rifles carried by military personnel fire high velocity cartridges in a variety of calibers. They have more power against vehicles but pose a greater danger of collateral damage than a machine pistol. Special police units may be equipped with assault rifles, and special military units may carry machine pistols.

Machine guns, as I think manouche has pointed out, are usually much heavier caliber weapons that owing to their weight and recoil, are fired from some kind of mounting, (unless you are Sylvester Stallone). I have only ever seen one actual machine gun set up in Paris, and that was in the Cité Metro station after a couple of train bombings in Spain and France, probably in the late 1990's. I think it was only there because troops were providing security and that's what they had.

<i>I, for one, would be much more impressed if your national holiday honored your writers, artists, and composers.</i>

That is perhaps the silliest statement that I have read so far. The culture of France is honored in the form of festivals, exhibitions and special days all through the year in every part of France and draws much larger crowds than any military events.

It's as though you have never actually visited France, IMDone, if you have missed that little detail.

Ah yes Kerouac the pride of the French military-Waterloo, Maginot Line, WWII, Dien Bien Phu, and Algeria.

And that is the reason for military parades, to pretend those actions did not exist.

And, of course, the French military ability being the butt of countless jokes.

Of course my comments are silly. It is called redirection.

Yes, well you are certainly firing in every direction and making an absolute fool of yourself.

Please continue.

.... and breath ..... guys

"French military being the butt of countless jokes"

Those jokes mostly seem to come from some ignorant narrow minded Americans.. and no one likes them anyways...

"French military being the butt of countless jokes"

Those jokes mostly seem to come from some ignorant narrow minded Americans.. and no one likes them anyways...
_____

And there you have it. You just had prod the facade a bit to get the truth.

Is anybody else reminded of the film "Le Dîner de Cons" with IMDonehere as our guest?

He is certainly jumping through every hoop.

At least the guest in 'le dîner de cons' was fun.

I actually saw it at the theater, with Jacques Villeret and Claude Brasseur.

We couldn't get our breath back... And Brasseur was bad half the time because he couldn't stay serious.

Now I've got the music of the boss in my head ... I had a brother at Khe San. Which makes me do the next jump...

So only for IMD :

Vietnam... what happened there...
WW2, when did it start ? 37 in China, 39 in Poland, 40 in France, and when did the great military power join ?
Iso what Isolationism ?
Bataan ? rings a bell ?
Maginot line - do you know it was never taken nor breached ? Panzers went through Belgium. And the maginot line wasn't on this frontier.
Waterloo. yes, also Poitiers, Azincourt, Hastings, Alesia too.
Algeria - do you mean the part where french tortured Algerians to get info during the battle of Alger ? in the prison of Abu Ghraib, I think.

For the others : don't mean to offence no one. Our boys do their job when under whatever uniform. Most - I'd say nearly all of them - quite well.
I don't see why it would be bad to praise them.

Even when defeated. Waterloo was an exceptionnal battle for example (I live there, so I know a bit about it). Saying the French didn't fight gallantly would remove any pride for the victors (British and Germans, btw)

And where were the US at the time ? licking their wounds from a repulsed non provoked attack on Canada ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812).

And it gives an excuse for yearly reenactment - which makes a great show !

Like in Gettysburgh, I expect.

Imdonehere.. note "some".. you being one of them apparently.

Those who have never seen any Bastille Day parades may wish to educate themselves before denouncing it as a symbol of French militarism or nationalism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastil...parade#History

The parade includes delegations from other nations as well, and in 2002 also delegates from the NY Fire Department to honor the victims of 9/11.

For me it's a celebration of the Republic and the values it stands for - and will defend, if necessary - and not the promotion of sabor-rattling interventionism.

While one may happily disagree on past or current politics, one must not forget that France had been the cornerstone and driving force of post-WWII reconciliation and European unification.

This year there was an Algerian delegation marching, and a few years ago there were German troops, which was the first time they had marched on the Champs Elysées since... that time. Everybody was pleased to see them return as friends.

Today we were walking to lunch in the Marais and saw 8 "heavily armed soldiers" marching towards us. But they split up into 3 groups and marched off in different directions. I guess it was shift change time but there were sure a lot of worried looking people while they did it.

This is one American who takes offense (read that as "pissed off") at the bigoted, thoughtless and uninformed slurs against French military fortitude expressed by some members of this Forum.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I saw the French contingent in action in Korea on more than one occasion when they were in positions near our 1st Marine Division around Heartbreak Ridge and the Punchbowl in 1951. Anyone who would call those brave and determined troops cowardly or ineffective is either a liar or a fool. I did not see it, but their bayonet charges against Chinese troops earlier in the war are legendary. Look at the casualty figures for the one battalion of 3,421 men. They had 287 killed and 1,350 wounded for a total of 1,637 casualties! Almost 50%!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French...on_(Korean_War)

Thank you nukesafe.. I know many Americans have informed and balanced views.. unfortunately there is a very loud and proud minority of folks who have no problem spewing their lack of knowledge while chest pounding and flag waving.

I never accused the French of cowardice and I never waved the American flag and pounded my chest. And I ask you to cite those incidents.

I did cite monumental French military failures over the last 200 hundred years. Those failures are undeniable unless you want to cite some revisionist historian. But people read what they want to read.

And in response to the OP. According to the American Jewish Congress:

In France in 2013:
105 Physical assaults against Jews
423 total anti-Semitic incidents

In 2014:
241 Physical assaults against Jews
851 Total anti-Semitic incidents

In France Jews comprise 1% of the population but are subject to 51% of the bias crimes.

Those dubious statistics come from the Crif and what makes them interesting is the fact that it is completely illegal in France to compile any data regarding race or religion, so one really wonders how they dreamed them up. I'm sure you can also supply the number of assaults against Catholics, Muslims and Roma, for example, just so that we can compare.

Nuke
Thanks for your post. You make yourself too scarce.

Coming from a leatherneck, nothing needs to be said no more. I knew you were a gentleman, we can all see you are a honest man, and we know you are a brave man.

You are the kind of men I teach my children to respect.

We have a helmet of a fallen GI found in the Ardennes at home, and I keep seeing this helmet in all places at home, like he is animated by his own life. As a reminder of what good men (good US ones) did for us.

(But I also teach my daughters not to believe eveything US citizens say, some are so blatantly arrogant and self centered....) :-)