Irish President to receive one of Brittany’s highest honours

Stephen Price

President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins is to receive one of Brittany’s highest honours today, amid concerns over ‘ astonishing silence’ in Brittany’s ‘subsidised state press’.

An announcement published to the Irish President’s website shared that the President will receive the Collar of the Hermine today (Wednesday, November 13) from Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Regional Council of Brittany.

The Collier de l’Hermine is one of Brittany’s most prestigious awards, awarded to four recipients each year from the Order of the Ermine – a civil honorary order established in 1972 which, managed by the Cultural Institute of Brittany, rewards people for the contribution they have made to the influence of Brittany.

Concerns have been raised in the region, however, about the lack of attention being given to the awards ceremony, which has international significance this year, and a potential strengthening of relations between two Celtic nations.

Concerns

Independent Breton news platform, NHU Brittany has, however, raised concerns about the lack of attention within Brittany.

They shared: “As we write these lines (Saturday, November 9th, 5:00 PM), no state media has reported on this event. While every year the subsidized and servile state press operating in Brittany covers the awarding of the Collar of the Hermine to the four nominees, it remains silent about this event with international significance.”

According to the Breton publication: “The hyper-centralized power of this exhausted Hexagon / France views the awarding of the Collar of the Hermine to a foreign president very negatively. Moreover, it is being awarded to the president of another Celtic nation.

“Since when has a simple French administrative region taken the initiative to award a distinction to a foreign head of state without going through Paris?

“For this Parisian-centered power, Brittany must remain as invisible as possible on the international stage. Brittany must not exist as a country, a people, or a nation, but only as a tourist region. Especially when we consider what the illustrious Collar of the Hermine represents.”

They ask: “Could such silence, just days before the event, be explained by a strict directive to these propaganda media to keep quiet about the ceremony?

“One must make a few sacrifices » to accept the millions from one’s main sponsor. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you!”

“Complete silence”

NHU Brittany has suggested that the Institut Culturel de Bretagne, which manages the Collar of the Hermine, Loïg Chesnais-Girard has likely managed to get the central government and its services in Brittany to tolerate the event, but with one condition: that it should not be known in Brittany.

In this regard, say: “It is worth noting that nothing appears on the website of the Institut Culturel de Bretagne, neither in the News section nor in the Agenda section.

The publication also visited the social media profiles of a few individuals who will be part of the Breton delegation attending the Irish Presidency in Baile Átha Cliath / Dulenn / Dublin and were astonished to discover that there was also ‘complete silence’.

NHU is the acronym of the Breton expression Ni Hon-Unan, which means Ourselves. NHU Brittany is an independent, collaborative and civic-minded Breton media serving Brittany. Read more English language articles here.