Every D-Day celebration flag was stolen and walls were left covered in anti-Emmanuel Macron graffiti in a French city where the president honored the Special Air Service’s D-Day heroes.
Macron arrived today in Plumelec, Brittany, at the start of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings.
Plumelec is a particularly sacred site because it was here that the first Allied soldier of the campaign was killed by German troops on June 6, 1944, after parachuting in from England.
But a spokesperson for the town hall confirmed that “all flags that were to be used in the ceremony were stolen on Tuesday.”
‘Graffiti has also appeared on a prominent bus shelter, referring to the president of France.’
Macron paid tribute to the Saint Marcel maquis, a force of French resistance fighters during World War II, and the French paratroopers of the SAS (Special Air Service), in Plumelec, Brittany, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of 1944 in Normandy, France June 5, 2024
US President Joe Biden steps off ‘Air Force One’ as he arrives at Orly Airport in Paris ahead of the D-Day commemorations
In total, the D-Day invasion involved 153,110 troops, supported by 10,440 aircraft and 6,330 ships, with paratroopers landing behind enemy lines prior to the main attack.
“Macron away from Brittany” was one of the messages still clearly visible after the vandalism, along with “This is not France!” and “Brittany is not for sale.”
The spokesperson for Plumelec Town Hall described the theft and vandalism as “shocking and deplorable” and said: “Video surveillance has been reviewed and will allow the perpetrators of these unacceptable acts to be identified.
“Those responsible will be prosecuted and punished, whether they are adults or minors.”
When a criminal investigation was launched, suspects included Breton patriots who objected to their region being expelled from Paris.
Despite the damage and vandalism, Macron’s visit to Plumelec went ahead.
He delivered a speech and paid tribute to the Saint Marcel maquis – a force of French resistance fighters during the Second World War – and the French SAS (Special Air Service) paratroopers, recalling the courage of Free French soldiers who were part of the British elite SAS.
They were among the first to invade Brittany as part of Operation Overlord, the Allied operation to begin the liberation of France.
The first fatality was Corporal Emile Bouétard, 28, a Frenchman who had attended a course at the Parachute Training School in Ringway, Manchester.
Macron’s visit to Plumelec went ahead despite the damage and vandalism, and he gave a speech recalling the courage of the Free French soldiers who were part of the British elite SAS.
US President Joe Biden (C) is welcomed by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal upon arrival at Paris Orly Airport near Paris, on June 5
His Free French unit was incorporated into 4 SAS in January 1944 and he was part of 3 Squadron when he arrived in the French department of Morbihan.
Their mission was to delay the German reinforcement from Brittany to the Normandy bridgehead.
They landed behind enemy lines at 00:45 on June 6, but found themselves close to an enemy observation post.
Members of 3 Squadron were killed or captured while still gathering their equipment.
The theft and vandalism at Plumelec comes despite a large-scale security operation in Brittany and Normandy in time for the D-Day commemorations.
Heads of state arriving in France in time for the commemorations include King Charles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden.
A steel ring will be placed around world leaders and other dignitaries.
Stéphane Chavaux, commander of the Channel and North Sea Gendarmerie Group, said: “We are ready to respond to any threat and will use force if necessary.”
Eighty bomb disposal experts, including divers, checked Normandy beaches for explosives today, while 43,000 soldiers, police and gendarmes flooded the region and surface-to-air missiles were deployed along the coast of northern France.