In Washington, the American national holiday was marked by the confrontation of two camps which seem irreconcilable. "An air parade, a minimalist military parade in the gardens of the White House and a handful of paratroopers in the sky of Washington. Only the fireworks reminded the inhabitants of Washington that the country was celebrating July 4", summarizes Matthew Mabin, correspondent for Washington for France 24. "Even Donald Trump's speech will not have masked the gloomy mood".
FR NW GRAB CEREMONY JULY 4TH MATTHIEU MABIN 6AM TO 7AM
At the same time, a stone's throw from the White House, anti-racist protesters, who have been calling for racial equality for more than a month, marched, watering insults at an activist holding a sign supporting Donald Trump. They continued on to the "Black Live Matter Plaza", a stretch of street that had become the epicenter of protest in the American capital.
To avoid clashes, an imposing police device was installed around the presidential enclosure, which looks like an entrenched camp.
But the Republican billionaire, far from advocating national reconciliation, accused the "radical" demonstrators of wanting to "erase" American history. "There have always been those who seek to lie about our past in order to gain power in the present, those who lie about our history, those who want us to be ashamed of who we are", said Trump. "Their goal is demolition," he added.
With AFP
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