November 11 ceremony: Emmanuel Macron arrived at the Arc de Triomphe

Emmanuel Macron is preparing to lay a wreath in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier. A few minutes earlier, the President of the Republic laid another wreath at the foot of the statue of Georges Clémenceau. Emmanuel Macron is participating in these celebrations for the last time as head of state. Before the start of the commemoration in Paris, he sent a thought, Wednesday November 11 on X, "to those who never returned". The French president paid tribute to "our veterans and our soldiers wounded in their flesh or their soul", "to widows, widowers, bereaved families, orphans and wards of the Nation", "to victims of acts of terrorism" and "to those who risk their lives to protect us". Follow the ceremony live on France 2.

• The government defends commemorations at school. A circular published at the beginning of July has established since the start of the school year an annual ceremony "to pay tribute to all those who died for France" for students from CM1 to final year. Some unions fear a form of recruitment and exploitation a few months before the presidential election. "It's a moment of collective belonging, where former soldiers come to testify: it's superb. (...) Why deprive students of this transmission?", explained Alice Rufo, Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces, on TF1.

• A particular focus on Marshal Foch. Ferdinand Foch will be the common thread of the special edition of France 2, with the presence of the soldier's great-great-grandson, Jean Bécourt-Foch. The opportunity to learn more about the importance of this military leader still studied at Saint-Cyr, who played a key role on the battlefield until the signing of the armistice, in the famous Rethondes wagon, where he gave up nothing to the German negotiators. Historians like Jean-Yves Le Naour, also a guest on France 2, even believe that he obtained a "disguised capitulation" from the enemy on November 11, 1918.

• A particular holiday. Contrary to what one might believe, the commemorations of November 11 do not only pay tribute to the dead of the First World War (1.4 million in France, as well as more than 4.3 million wounded). Since 2012, this day has been dedicated to all those who died for France. While the status of several memorial holidays has fluctuated over the past century, this date has been a public holiday since 1922 and no president or government has expressed the idea of ​​calling it into question.

The special day on the France Télévisions channels will conclude with the broadcast of the documentary Verdun: 300 days, 300 nights, at 9:10 p.m. on France 3.