The decision was taken in July 2020, but was never formally announced.
Emmanuel Macron has changed one of the colours of the French national flag, without telling the public.
Last summer the French president introduced a new shade of blue to the flag, which is darker than the original, without any explanation or reason.
Until now that is.
According to Sky News, a member of staff from Macron’s administration told French news sites that the reasons behind the change were aesthetic, with the new blue being “more elegant”, and political, with the aim of “reviving a symbol of the French Revolution.”
The decision to change the shade of blue was apparently made on July 13 2020, but was never formally announced by the French government.
The blue on French flags has varied throughout history. The navy and many official buildings use a navy blue on the famous Tricolore, but in 1976 the state introduced a lighter shade of blue to bring it in line with the EU flag.
The member of staff added that the move to a darker shade isn’t meant to be an anti-European gesture.
Given that President Emmanuel Macron recently changed the French flag, here are historical flags of France. Credit to Reddit user Flagmaker123 for the compilation. pic.twitter.com/IIDFYLJucH
— The French History Podcast 🇲🇫 (@FrenchHist) November 15, 2021
Writing about the move, Europe 1’s political correspondent Louis de Raguenel said: “No communication was made on this change of colour, no instructions were given to change or not all the official flags, the Élysée Palace affirms that the approach is an incentive.
“Emmanuel Macron’s entourage has no desire to give the image of a president who touches the deepest symbols of the country, even if deep down, as you might imagine, there is a meaning behind it all.”
Commenting on Twitter, one French national wrote: “As usual, he decides everything on his own. The French flag does not belong to him personally.”
Another added: “Even if it does not matter, we should have been informed. He touches a symbol without asking anything of anyone.”
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