Parisians hope Bastille Day visit can 'educate' Donald Trump about Europe

Donald Trump’s visit to France has closed in grand style as the President watched Paris’ Bastille Day parade alongside Emmanuel Macron.

Crowds packed the capital’s streets for the spectacle, which opened with French jets roaring over the city trailing red, white and blue smoke in a series of fly-pasts and a procession of singing troops and military vehicles.

Some onlookers waved French flags as they passed, while others clapped and cheered the troops marching in full regalia in the July sunshine.

Among the spectators was Amine Konan and his family, who travelled to Paris from Lille to celebrate Bastille Day.

The 26-year-old struggled to put into words how he felt about Mr Trump, and “what he said about Muslims…the claims he makes about us”, referring to the President’s repeated attacks on “Islamic” terrorism and his controversial travel ban.

“But he’s still the US President and France and America are allies,” Mr Konan added, surrounded by his parents and sister. “Mr Macron didn’t invite the person, he invited the President.”

Friends Catherine Gatchell and Molly Longsworth agreed, saying that they wanted to show their respect for France and Bastille Day by joining the celebration.

They had joined around 100 demonstrators at a rally organised by Democrats Against Trump on Thursday evening – one of several protests marking the President’s visit.

Ms Longsworth, American tourist from Arkansas, said she believed most Americans do not support Mr Trump, adding: “We want to keep the conversation going”.

Tom and Christena Southwick, who were visiting Paris from Hawaii, said they hoped Mr Macron could “educate” his counterpart about European culture.

“The more we can educate him and get him out of his comfort zone, the better we are,” Mr Southwick added as armoured personnel carriers carrying gun-wielding French soldiers sped past.

The annual spectacle marks the storming of the Bastille prison during the French Revolution, but this year took on the additional significance of commemorating 100 years since the US joined the First World War.

American F16 and French Rafale jets flew together to symbolise military cooperation during the parade, when some troops were wearing century-old battle dress.

Friends Marwane and Youmes, who were watching the parade for the first time in Paris, said they did not support Mr Trump, but thought the war anniversary was a “special occasion” for both countries.

“The US is more than Donald Trump and we know that,” said Marwane.

Eight American planes joined the parade, along with a detachment of 145 troops on the ground, and the US flag fluttered alongside the tricolore throughout.

Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, watched the spectacle next to the French President in the Place de la Concorde, including bands playing a mix of republican anthems and pop music.

Swathes of central Paris were closed around the main parade route down the Champs-Elysees, which was the site of an attempted Isis-inspired terror attacks just weeks ago and the site of a shooting that killed a police officer earlier this year.

Counter-terrorism was a key topic of a bilateral meeting between Mr Macron and Mr Trump on Thursday, when they toured French monuments and had a luxurious dinner up the Eiffel Tower.

The US President said he had a “great evening” on Twitter, adding: “Relationship with France stronger than ever.”

The visit came as the White House is engulfed by the scandal over a meeting between Mr Trump’s son and senior campaign aides and a Russian lawyer, amid continued allegations of Kremlin interference in the election.

Mr Macron refused to be drawn on the controversy during a press conference on Thursday, where Mr Trump hinted that “something might happen” to his position on the Paris climate change agreement.

Closing the Bastille Day celebrations, Mr Macron said his counterpart’s presence was a “sign of enduring friendship” between France and the US.

“Nothing can ever separate us,” he added. “I want to thank America for the choice made a hundred years ago.”

By the end of the 1914-1918 war, more than a million US troops were stationed in France alongside soldiers of French, British and other nations fighting Germany.

The parade marked the end of commemorations and the state visit, with the two presidents and their wives embracing each other before Mr Trump started the journey back to the US.

Mr Macron will travel onwards to the French city of Nice, to commemorate the one year anniversary of an Isis-inspired terror attack that killed 86 people watching the city’s Bastille Day fireworks.