Tagged: France

Every Memorial Day weekend, a ceremony takes place just outside Paris to honor a group of Americans who fought in France. They're not D-Day veterans, but a little known group of pilots who fought for France in World War I, before the U.S. entered the war.

This year's ceremony in the tiny town of Marnes-la-Coquette began with a flyover by two French air force Mirage fighter jets from the Escadrille Lafayette, or Lafayette Squadron, paying tribute to the men who founded the group nearly 100 years ago.

Some 150,000 people hit the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest a law that legalizes same-sex marriage in France. The mass demonstration comes just days before the first ceremony is scheduled to take place.

The Guardian reports that police "evicted" about a dozen activists who climbed to the roof the Socialist party headquarters to unfurl a banner urging President François Hollande to resign.

The paper adds:

Will teaching in English at France's universities undermine the French language? That's up for debate in the country now, and the argument is heated.

The lower house of parliament approved a measure Thursday that would allow courses to be taught in English, something that is currently against the law.

Those in favor of the proposal say it will attract more international students and improve English language skills of French students. But opponents say the move will only impoverish and marginalize the country's tongue.