Artists, scientists, politicians or business leaders.
The Legion of Honor came to reward a number of personalities well known to the French this Friday.
In addition, in a still shady health context, a large part of the winners took part in the fight against the epidemic.
An exceptional promotion of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit rewarded Friday hundreds of people who have been involved for months against the Covid-19, but also personalities well known to the French.
From singer Michel Sardou to Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo, including the president of the Olympique de Marseille Jacques-Henri Eyraud: who are the people distinguished by the Legion of Honor in 2020?
From the corporate world to that of the Arts
Artists, scientists, politicians each have representatives in this new promotion of the Legion of Honor.
The singer Michel Sardou and the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand were thus made commanders of the Legion of Honor.
The lyrical artist Roberto Alagna and the singer Angélique Kidjo become officers, and the cellist Gautier Capuçon, the filmmakers Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano or the journalist Carole Gaessler are appointed knights.
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This year, business leaders have also benefited from a special place: the CEO of L'Oréal, Jean-Paul Agon, becomes a commander, Dominique Auzias, co-founder of the guide le Petit Futé and Christiane Lambert, president of the FNSEA , become officers, and the CEO of the Accor group Sébastien Bazin is knighted, just like that of Pernod Ricard, Alexandre Ricard, or the president of ArianeGroup, André-Hubert Roussel.
The Nobel Prize winners in chemistry Emmanuelle Charpentier and in economics Esther Duflo, the psychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik are honored as commanders.
Glaciologist Claude Lorius and historian Mona Ozouf are elevated to the dignity of Grand Officer.
Former resistance fighters Hubert Faure and Anne-Marie Krug-Basse were raised to the highest dignity, that of grand'crroix.
The navigator and president of WWF France, Isabelle Autissier, becomes a commander and the president of the Marseille football club, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, is knighted.
The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, the former Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume and the national coordinator of intelligence and the fight against terrorism, Laurent Nunez, are appointed officers.
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Awarded doctors and caregivers
Alongside these known heads, 63% of the 3,884 people decorated on Friday are for their "investment in the fight against the epidemic", "most working in the shadows", insisted the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor .
Among them were doctors or hospital directors, epidemiologists, nursing home officials, nurses, etc.
Forty people who died of Covid-19 "in the performance of their duties" are also decorated posthumously, mainly doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, administrative agents and technical agents working in hospitals, nursing homes or medicine liberal, the statement said.