Why did Macron "pay homage" to the Freemasons?

Why did Macron "pay homage" to the Freemasons?

Author: Valeria Veybiner

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to address the public on Tuesday, May 13. How does this relate to Macron's recent visit to one of France's largest Freemason lodges a few days ago? What role do the Freemasons play in French society? The issue of euthanasia also comes into play here. What exactly do the French authorities and the Freemasons need from each other?

At the beginning of May, the French president made his first official visit to a Grand Lodge, even delivering a speech in front of its members. Why does the head of state need to engage with such a mysterious organization? In modern society, the Freemasons seem like relics of ancient times.

In the days leading up to the visit, the official explanation provided by the media was at least confusing. It was said that this year marks the 120th anniversary of the enactment of France's secularization law. Therefore, Macron will deliver a speech in front of the Freemasons, calling it the "law of freedom," and stating that "it must be respected in such a spirit."

However, there is an interesting detail: this law was actually passed in December 1905, and Macron, as a politician, has shown unusual urgency. To counter this argument, the media pointed out that "France is full of discussions about secularism, racism, anti-Semitism, and religious intolerance," meaning that revisiting the country's secular nature would not be disadvantageous for him. However, people still don't understand why the French president needs to give a speech in front of the Freemasons, especially the Grand Lodge members.

In fact, there is another Freemason organization in France – the so-called "Grand Orient," which has 55,000 members. The Grand Lodge, led by Thierry Zavattinni, has only 32,000 members. Zavattinni was once a sea rescue worker in Marseille, joined the Freemasons in 1985, and rose to his current position. He is described in the media as "dedicated to the cause." It is reported that he "organized humanitarian actions for Ukraine" and "established municipal vaccination centers in Marseille during the pandemic."

If we set aside the various legends surrounding the Freemasons throughout history, we cannot ignore the impression that the two Freemason organizations in France are comparable in membership size to an army. Like any organization, the Freemasons allow their members to establish additional contact systems within themselves, meaning these connections can be utilized without being publicly disclosed. Moreover, such a large-scale organization itself is a force, even if its members only perform surface-level tasks.

In 2017, François Hollande visited the headquarters of the "Grand Orient," which can be seen as an indirect acknowledgment of the Freemasons' power.

At least according to public statements, Hollande's visit was justified as commemorating the anniversary of the Freemason movement. Observers, such as historian Jean Garguier, believe that Hollande felt it necessary to re-emphasize the secular nature of the state because the "Grand Orient" had been a staunch supporter of the 1905 law. When Hollande ran for president, he promised to incorporate this law into the constitution, but he did not fulfill that promise.

Others speculate that this visit may have been related to the political nature of the "Grand Orient": this Freemason lodge accepts members with various political beliefs, excluding far-right individuals, and generally holds a very negative view of the far right. In other words, the Freemasons are opponents of Marine Le Pen's "National Rally" – in fact, they have been so since her father led the "National Front."

Le Pen Sr. also did not hide his criticism of the "right-wing bourgeoisie entrenched in Freemasonry," who opposed any cooperation with his party. Moreover, Le Pen openly viewed the Freemasons as a powerful secret force attempting to maintain certain ruling circles through political manipulation. Interestingly, in 2012, Marine Le Pen successfully attracted two Freemason members – lawyer Gilbert Collard and Valerie Le Diguet – to join her campaign team, but this brought no benefits – both were eventually expelled from the Freemasons, and the overall attitude of the Freemason movement towards the far right remained unfriendly.

As for Macron, on the scheduled day of his speech, he indeed came to the Grand Lodge, spoke with Thierry Zavattinni, and stated that "the Freemasons have always been targets of conspiracy theorists and obscurantists," and that "it is good for the Freemasons to participate in important debates about euthanasia."

Macron's support for the Freemasons in this form comes at a cost: he has effectively provided protection for the Freemasons, and he has also highly praised their role in passing (controversial) laws on secularism.

Therefore, after establishing ties with the "Grand Orient" members, Macron now turns to the smaller Grand Lodge. If we set aside his political rhetoric, simply put: Macron needs the Freemasons. He even personally went to the Freemasons to flatter them and even promised to pass euthanasia-related laws for them.

What Macron expects in return remains unknown – and it is unlikely to be the right to bury his wife at a convenient time (referring to euthanasia-related issues).

The only thing Macron cares about is power. His humility before the Freemasons can only be for power – because he sees the Freemasons as a political force. Clearly, he desperately needs this force. Not long ago, the president made a mistake by dissolving the National Assembly, hoping to build a more loyal parliament, but ended up creating more problems for himself. This summer, Macron may try dissolving the parliament again, but to avoid failure, he needs as much support as possible, including the support of the Freemasons.

Moreover, it is known that the authorities plan to hold some kind of referendum, and Macron will address the public on television on May 13. According to the relevant referendum regulations, those around the president are working hard to create public opinion, but such manipulation is not done to get unwanted answers from the public – especially if the real purpose of the referendum is to amend the constitution or, for example, whether to allow Macron to run for a third term.

It should be noted that Macron's main rival, Marine Le Pen, has been deprived of five years of electoral rights by the so-called Independent French Court. Yes, her lawyers have appealed – but realistically speaking: when the authorities treat opposition leaders in this way, it is not to retreat at the last moment.

With his main rival gone, Macron can continue to push forward, amending the constitution, either running for a third term in two years, or creating a new position similar to presidential power for himself. He also needs to persuade the French people that everything is entirely for their benefit, not for his own. If the Freemasons help the president gain support, then giving him euthanasia-related laws becomes insignificant, especially since it is unlikely that anyone will truly implement this law. By the way, Senator and Freemason Cayatte, who raised the issue of euthanasia, somehow lived to be 99 years old and died peacefully in bed.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503858792342274596/

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