Drapeau bleu, blanc, rouge

What’s that for? What does that mean? Why is it like that? Where is it? Who’s that?

One day, one question

Why is the French flag blue, white, red?

Every country has its own flag. In France, the blue, white, red flag flies above city halls, schools, and official buildings. It dates back to the Revolution of 1789. Blue and red, colors of Parisian Revolutionaries, surround white, the color of the king.

So the French flag symbolizes the people’s revolt to obtain liberty, and since then, inscribed in the Constitution, it has become one of the symbols of the French Republic,* like the Marseillaise and the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

This flag belongs to all French people, and allows them to unite behind common values. Over the course of history, it has been proudly brandished, for example, at the end of World War II. It’s a sign of patriotism, of love for one’s country. In stadiums, supporters wave it to express their support to national teams.

But the blue, white, red flag is also sometimes seen as a symbol of discrimination in favor of one’s own nation; that is, of the priorities of the French over [those of] foreigners. Many French people have long been bothered by this image, [which is] conveyed by the far right.

Yet after the 13 November [2015] attacks, [then-president] François Hollande called on the French to display the flag in tribute to the victims. On social networks, a great many internet users colored their photos blue, white, red. And France’s colors were projected onto monuments in many countries. So the French are compelled to reappropriate it, their flag which is revolutionary, patriotic, and united all at the same time.

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