The festivities of July 4, traditionally marked by parades, marching bands, barbecues and big fireworks in a nice atmosphere, have been downgraded across the country.
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July 4, 2020 14h53
Updated at 15: 10
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The United States celebrate July 4 with a bitter taste
Camille Camdessus
Agence France-Presse
WASHIGNTON — curfews, COVID-19 in Florida, the protests against racism : the United States celebrated Saturday their national day in a unique atmosphere and a tense atmosphere.
The festivities of July 4, traditionally marked by parades, marching bands, barbecues and big fireworks in a nice atmosphere, have been downgraded across the country.
A “tribute to the United States” will still be made by the president, Donald Trump in the federal capital of Washington, from 1840.
In spite of the pandemic of sars coronavirus, the National Mall, the vast esplanade where you will also find museums and official monuments, and its surrounding area will remain open and accessible to the public for fireworks advertised as “monumental”.
A flypast of aircraft from the Second world War and a show of patrolling the Blue Angels are expected, under a blazing sun.
For the occasion, the directors said that they planned distribution of 300,000 masks.
Donald Trump will speak from the White House at a ceremony to which were invited the American “first line” response to the pandemic, especially in the world of health but also of the police forces and the army.
“Social distancing will be observed and masks, and hand sanitizers will be distributed,” said AFP Judd Deere, a spokesman for the White House.
Faithful to the message that he hammered for several days, the billionaire republican has once again ignored Saturday the renewed contamination alarm of the health authorities.
“We have been hit by this terrible plague came from China and now we are on the point of us out of it”, he launched in a video message broadcast in the middle of the day. “Our country is back, the employment figures are spectacular”, has he hammered.
pic.twitter.com/udKtixPR58
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2020
The Records of the case in Florida
At the same time, Florida announced a new record of the event of COVID-19 11 458 on the last 24 hours.
Due to the magnitude of the health crisis, the mayor of the county of Miami-Wade, the most populous in the country, with nearly 2.7 million inhabitants, has declared Friday a curfew from 22 h in local time.
It “is intended to prevent people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, and this has proven to be a factor in the rapid spread of the virus,” explained Carlos Gimenez.
In Atlanta and Nashville, the concerts and fireworks have been cancelled.
A ceremony virtual replaces the celebrations planned in the city of texas Houston, home of the epidemic in the great State of the South.
The celebrations of the independence Day when in 1776 the thirteen british colonies proclaimed their separation from the british crown and founded the United States of America, may this year have a bitter taste.
America is lively since the death of the Afro-American George Floyd, by a movement in history against racism, comparable to the civil rights movement of the 60’s.
Around the country, rallies are planned for the justice, racial equality and against the government Trump.
In Washington, a dozen groups have called for protests, including in front of the monument in memory of Abraham Lincoln, from which Martin Luther King delivered his speech “I have a dream”, in 1963.
A large part of the city centre was already buckled in the morning, found the AFP.
Democratic candidate for the presidential election in November, Joe Biden has called in a video message, to unite to overcome the “more than 200 years of systemic racism”.
Our nation was founded on a simple idea: We’re all created equal. We’ve never lived up to it — but we’ve never stopped trying. This Independence Day, let’s not just celebrate those words, let’s commit to finally fulfill them. Happy #FourthOfJuly! pic.twitter.com/1WrATlx8Xl
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 4, 2020
“Our country was founded on an idea, that we are born all equal. We have never been at the height of this idea”, said the former vice-president of Barack Obama.
Donald Trump, who is running for a second term, denounced Friday night in a speech that was very dark “the disorder violent” in the streets, and “years of indoctrination far in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions.”
In the midst of a debate on the statues put to the ground by demonstrators, anti-racist, he was denounced, from the imposing monument of mount Rushmore, ” a campaign to erase our history, defame our heroes, suppress our values and indoctrinate our children.”
In his speech, the tempestuous billionaire has only briefly discussed the pandemic, which has done nearly 130,000 deaths on american soil.
