Saluutschoten, a French naval ship on the IJ and escorted in the air by two fighter planes: French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the Netherlands.
It is neither the sound of fireworks nor that of a shooting. The explosion that can be heard in the vicinity of the Amsterdam IJ on Tuesday morning is the sound of salute shots. They were fired as part of the welcome ceremony of the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
“At first I thought something hit my boat,” says houseboat resident Arthur, who is moored with his ship on the Oude Waal in Amsterdam. From 10.50 am, the Amsterdammer is startled by bangs that he cannot immediately place. “It was only after a while that I realized that Macron would make a state visit and salutes would be fired.”
At the invitation of King Willem-Alexander, the French head of state and his wife Brigitte will pay a state visit to the Netherlands. The visit will last two days. In addition to much bombardment on the water of the IJ, the Frenchman also provides a spectacle in the air on Tuesday morning: two F-16s escort the French government aircraft to Schiphol.
Indonesian restaurant
It is certainly not the first time that Macron has visited our country; last January he dined with Prime Minister Mark Rutte in an Indonesian restaurant in The Hague. However, such a working visit is different from a state visit. The latter was a diplomatic, ceremonial visit focusing on friendship and cooperation between two countries. In 2000 there was the last state visit by a French head of state: then President Jacques Chirac was received by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus.
A salute is traditionally fired during a state visit. Macron, however, is going big by also bringing a warship with him: the last time something like this happened was 47 years ago. From the French warship FS Normandie, which sails across the IJ, France salutes our country with 21 shots. As a tribute, 21 blanks are then fired into the air from Marineterrein 21. The 42 gun salute can be heard in the city.
The traditional welcome ceremony is not well received by everyone. Despite a preliminary announcement from the municipality of Amsterdam, some residents are shocked by the explosion. It is also raining criticism on social media, because a reception of this order, is that still of this time? ‘This is really idiotic. Just shake that man’s hand when he arrives. A boxing, or a hug if necessary. But those gun salutes are very thirteenth-century,” someone wrote on Twitter. Still, houseboat resident Arthur finds the salute shots a spectacle. “As a little boy I loved seeing what happened in the harbor, but those are days gone by,” he says wistfully.
Gun salutes
He therefore thinks the gun salute is a nice gesture. “We have a beautiful large harbour; In my opinion, this is a great tradition that we should keep as far as I’m concerned.”
Salem Samhoud, who works in the vicinity of the Marineterrein where the salute shots were fired, also appreciates the welcome ceremony. He finds the Dutch level-headedness ,,not always blissful. If you have someone visiting at home, you also do your best for a warm welcome and, for example, cook something that your guest can appreciate, so I think such a ceremonial welcome is appropriate for a head of state.”