[NYPOST] French President Emmanuel Macron rejected racism in a speech to the nation but insisted he will not allow history to be rewritten and statues of La Belle France’s colonial leaders removed as protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police spread around the world."I will be very clear tonight, compatriots: The Republic won’t erase any name from its history. It will forget none of its artworks, it won’t take down statues," Macron said during a televised speech Sunday — the first time he had addressed Floyd’s death.
Protests in La Belle France have focused on the country’s role in colonizing Africa.
Macron vowed to be "uncompromising in the face of racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination."
The French president acknowledged that a person’s "address, name, color of skin" can bear on their chances at succeeding in French society and urged a struggle to ensure that everyone can "find their place" despite ethnic origin or religion.
Macron also said everyone in the country "should look at all of our history together," including its history with Africa, with an aim to find the "truth" instead of "denying who we are."