Instead of applause and parades, curfews against the coronavirus and demonstrations against racism ... The United States celebrated this Saturday their national holiday in a singular atmosphere and a tense climate. The July 4 festivities, traditionally marked by marching bands, barbecues and large fireworks in a friendly atmosphere, have been revised downward across the country.
A “tribute to America” will still be paid by President Donald Trump in the federal capital of Washington, from 6:40 pm local time. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the National Mall, the huge esplanade where official museums and monuments stand and its surroundings, will remain open and accessible to the public for a fireworks display announced as "monumental". An aerial parade of World War II planes and a Blue Angels patrol show are expected, under a blazing sun. For the occasion, the administration says it has planned the distribution of 300,000 masks.
The invited "first line"
Donald Trump will speak from the White House at a ceremony to which Americans have been invited "on the front line" in the face of the pandemic, in particular from the world of health but also from the police and the army. "Social distancing will be observed and masks and hand sanitizers will be distributed," White House spokeswoman Judd Deere told AFP.
True to the message he has been hammering for several days, the republican billionaire once again ignored Saturday the resurgence of contamination that alarms the health authorities. "We were struck by this terrible plague from China and now we are on the verge of getting out of it," he said in a mid-day video message. "Our country is back, the employment figures are spectacular," he insisted.
Meanwhile, cases explode in Florida
At the same time, Florida announced a new Covid-19 case record at 11,458 in the past 24 hours. Given the scale of the health crisis, the mayor of the county of Miami-Wade, the most populous in the country with nearly 2.7 million inhabitants, on Friday decreed a curfew from 22h. It "is intended to prevent people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has proven to be a factor in the rapid spread of the virus," said Carlos Gimenez.
In Atlanta, Nashville, concerts or fireworks have been canceled. A virtual ceremony replaces the celebrations planned in the Texas city of Houston, home of the epidemic in the great state of the South.
The fight against racism in the background
The Independence Day celebrations, when in 1776 thirteen British colonies proclaimed their separation from the British crown and founded the United States of America, may this year taste even more bitter because of racial tensions. America has been animated since the death of African-American George Floyd by a historic movement against racism, comparable to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Across the country, rallies are scheduled for justice, racial equality and against the Trump government. In Washington, around twenty collectives called to demonstrate, notably in front of the monument in memory of Abraham Lincoln, from which Martin Luther King had given his speech "I have a dream", in 1963. A large part of the city center was already cordoned off in the morning, AFP noted.
Biden's "idea", Trump's "mess"
Democratic presidential candidate in November, Joe Biden called in a video message to unite to overcome "more than 200 years of systemic racism". “Our country was founded on an idea, that we are all born equal. We have never lived up to this idea, "said former Barack Obama vice president. Donald Trump, who is running for a second term, denounced Friday evening in a very dark speech "violent disorder" in the streets, and "years of extreme indoctrination in education, journalism and other cultural institutions. "
In the midst of a debate on the statues brought down by anti-racist demonstrators, he denounced, since the imposing monument of Mount Rushmore, "a campaign aimed at erasing our history, defaming our heroes, suppressing our values and indoctrinating our children". In his speech, the tempestuous billionaire only briefly touched on the pandemic which left nearly 130,000 dead on American soil.
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At the foot of Mount Rushmore, Trump touts a "strong" and "proud" America, but remains discreet about the coronavirus
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- George Floyd
- Donald trump
- Coronavirus
- United States
- World