French press review

In the spotlight: Europe awake, Russia isolated

Audio 04:10

A view shows the area near the regional administration building, which city officials say was hit by a missile attack, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine March 1, 2022. © REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

By: Sébastien Duhamel Follow

4 mins

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Like yesterday, Monday February 28, it's a bit like the chronicle of a metamorphosis that we can read in the newspapers this morning.

As fast as she was expected.

“ 

Europe stands up to Putin

 ”, headlines

Le Figaro

which speaks to us of the “ 

European awakening

 ”, of an “ 

electroshock ” for the “

 dormant

”  Old Continent

 .

Le Monde

speaks to us about the " 

surprise of the EU in the face of Putin

 ".

Yes it is “ 

a historic awakening

 ”, confirms

Le Parisien

.

Historic

 ", a word that comes up a lot, as in

La Croix

also.

The Catholic newspaper recalls that the European Union was “ 

born on the ashes of the Second World War

 ” and that it has just “

broken an absolute taboo

 ” by announcing 450 million euros to equip Ukraine.

It is " 

the first time that the Union will finance the purchase of lethal weapons in the context of a conflict involving a third State

 ", explains the Catholic daily.

While Moscow is already the target of numerous economic sanctions.

The result is " 

Putin isolated, Russia under pressure

 ", for

Le Parisien Today in France

.

Yes, “

 Russia is in a vice of sanctions

 ”, displays the front page of Les

Echos

.

Libé

prefers to speak of " 

pincers

 "

Sanctions from the cultural milieu

The world of culture also got involved, at the cost of a philosophical debate, we understand in

Le Monde

.

“ 

Should we continue to disseminate Russian artists, play their music, exhibit their works in the name of the universality of culture, or boycott any collaboration? 

“In France,

“several institutions have decided on the spot 

” in any case, explains

Le Monde

.

Like the Toursky Theater for example in Marseille, which cancels the 26th Russian festival scheduled for March.

While in Avignon, long-time Russian opponent Kirill Serebrennikov should open the festival well this summer as planned.

“ 

On the plastic arts side, the reflection continued

 ”, reports

Le Monde

.

If the Louis Vuitton Foundation has extended the exhibition on the Morozov brothers until April 3, a Boltanski exhibition announced for March 12 in Saint Petersburg has, on the other hand, been canceled by its beneficiaries.

On the music side, it is obviously “ 

from Eurovision that the most symbolic blow came: Russia was banned from the competition

 ”, recalls

Le Monde

.

But the newspaper also notes concert cancellations, such as the Frenchman Woodkid who gives up his dates in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev.

Or Russian artists themselves: The famous rapper Oxxxymiron, for example, cancels his concerts because of the “ 

crime

 ” that the invasion represents, he says.

The “ 

Soviet rock veteran

 ” does the same,

Le Monde

tells us , Yuri Shevchuk, leader of the group DDT.

“ 

No one accepts this situation, even pop stars afraid of losing their commitments and their fees

 “, he says.

A petition is even circulating in the Russian artistic community to “ 

demand an end to the war

 ”.

It has already collected more than 2000 signatures.

This is “ 

a first

 ”, underlines

Le Monde.

The world of sport, haro on Moscow

The sports community drives the point home.

Red card

 ", displays the front page of

L'Équipe

.

Completely red besides, this one simply shows the Russian football team, aligned as before a match.

Except that " 

FIFA and UEFA have decided to exclude Russia from all international competitions until further notice

 ," writes

L'Équipe

.

The governing bodies of football have followed the International Olympic Committee, Russia will therefore not participate in the next play-offs for the 2022 World Cup. A “ 

strong

 ” and “ 

unprecedented

 ” gesture, deciphers the sports daily: “ 

historically, everyone knows that FIFA and the IOC have not always been on the side of democracy 

,” he explains.

The new IPCC alert

While men are waging war on all possible grounds, the planet is still dying.

And no doubt it would make headlines if it weren't for the conflict in Ukraine: " 

The terrible price of inaction"

, according to the IPCC.

Alert in

Liberation

,

Le Figaro

,

L'Humanité

or even

La Croix

.

All return this morning on the new report of the Intergovernmental Group of experts on the climate, and the table drawn up in

Libé

is not really gratifying there either.

“ 

Displacement of populations 

”?

Already 30 million per year now.

Heatwaves

 "?

By the end of the century, 

75% of the world's population could be exposed to deadly heat waves

 ”, compared to 30 today.

We are not even talking about the rise in water levels and the announced submersion of many coastal towns.

In short, summarizes

Libé

, " 

great efforts remain to be made

 ".

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