Speaking to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to create a single European Army that could rival NATO.
Farage unsuccessfully tried to urge Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) not to support German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen’s bid to be elected as new head of the European Commission, saying that “she’s a fanatic for building a European Army but she is not alone”.
“When it’s completed, NATO will cease to exist or have any relevance in Europe at all. Not to be left out of this, French President Emmanuel Macron, on Bastille Day last Sunday, stood at the front of an open-top car, with his European defence force behind him looking for all the world like an updated version of Napoleon”, Farage added.
Farage putting on his show...
— Rym Momtaz ريم ممتاز (@RymMomtaz) 16 июля 2019 г.
Von der Leyen “a fanatic”
Macron “an updated version of Napoleon”
Does Farage think he is King George III? 👑
He referred to Macron attending a massive military parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution on 14 July 1789.
In November 2018, Macron told the French radio station Europe 1 that France should not just depend on the United States and that Paris will fail to protect the Europeans "unless we decide to have a true European army".
If Macron is an “updated version of Napoleon” ... then what is Trump... an updated version of Hitler. And let me tell you UK that updated version of Hitler is your friend 👎
— BodegaCat 💅🏻🐭🐯 (@Ginaideex) 16 июля 2019 г.
The proposal was backed by von der Leyen who said at the time that “a European army is a vision that might become a reality in generations to come”.
