2020 in France

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See also:	Other events of 2020 History of France  • Timeline  • Years

Events in the year 2020 in France.

Incumbents

• President – Emmanuel Macron (REM)
• Prime Minister – Édouard Philippe (LR) (before 3 July), Jean Castex (REM)

Events

January

• 3 January – Villejuif stabbing where a man kills one person and wounds two others with a knife before the perpetrator is shot dead by police.[1]
• 18 January – French police call for backup as protesters try to storm a theater where President Emmanuel Macron and his wife are watching The Fly.[2]
• 20 January – Annie Chapelier, member of the National Assembly for Gard's 4th constituency, leaves LREM. She denounces "an above-ground movement, indifferent to the territories" where "little more or less self-proclaimed chiefs" want to be superior to "a mass, insignificant in their eyes, who is asked for blind allegiance and obedience", as well as inaction in the face of the "climate emergency".
• 24 January – The first cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in France: one in Bordeaux, a Chinese native of Wuhan who lives and works in the Bordeaux region, and two in Paris, a couple of Chinese tourists.[3]

February

• 7 February – Five new cases of COVID-19, four adults and one child, are announced by the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn. The initial case is a British national returning from Singapore where he stayed from 20 to 23 January. He has arrived in France on 24 January for a four-day stay in the town of Les Contamines-Montjoie before returning to United Kingdom.
• 8 February – Triggering of the Alerte-Enlèvement Device (Alert-Removal Device): the plan is launched after the kidnapping of Vanille, a 1-year-old girl by her mother Nathalie, 40, in Angers, on 7 February around 5:30 pm. Nathalie is found in Nantes on 9 February. A few hours later, the public prosecutor of Angers announces that Vanille has been found dead, in a clothing dumpster, and that her mother has admitted to having killed her. It is the first time since the launch of the Alert-Removal Device in France that the abducted child has been found dead.
• 11 February – Death of François André, member of the French National Assembly for Ille-et-Vilaine's 3rd constituency. He is replaced by his substitute.
• 16 February – Resignation of Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Solidarity and Health, following her candidacy for mayor of Paris.
• 21 February – Shutdown of reactor 1 at the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant.
• 28 February – 45th César Awards.
• 29 February – All indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people are banned, over fears of the coronavirus.

March

• 15 and 22 March – Scheduled dates for the 2020 French municipal elections.
• 21 March – Independence of the XIVth district's Eco-Socialist Republic.

April

• 4 April – A terrorist knife attack in Romans-sur-Isère resulted in the death of two civilians and the wounding of five others. The perpetrator was arrested and charged with terrorist crimes.[4]
• 13 April – President Emmanuel Macron makes a television address on coronavirus to the nation viewed by 36.7 million people.[5]

June

• 11–17 June – 2020 Dijon riots: A 16-year-old Chechen in assaulted in Dijon, leading to several violent clashes, including in the Grésilles district.[6]
• June – Louis Aliot became the first National Rally Mayor in Perpignan with a city of more than 100,000 people.[7]

July

• 3 July – Prime Minister Édouard Philippe resigns, and is replaced by Jean Castex.

August

• 26 to 30 August – Scheduled date for the 2020 European Athletics Championships to be held in Paris.[8]

September

• 25 September – 2020 Paris stabbing attack.

October

• 16 October – Murder of Samuel Paty.
• 29 October – 2020 Nice stabbing
• 31 October – 2020 Lyon shooting

Deaths

January

Nathaël Julan

Marie-Thérèse Cheroutre

Michou

• 1 January
  • Marius Bruat, football player (b. 1930).
  • Michel Celaya, rugby union player (b. 1930).
• 2 January – Élisabeth Rappeneau, film director and screenwriter (b. 1940).
• 3 January – Nathaël Julan, football player (b. 1996).[9]
• 4 January
  • Marie-Thérèse Cheroutre, historian and professor of philosophy (b. 1924).
  • Georges Duboeuf, wine merchant (b. 1933).
• 7 January
  • André Abadie, rugby union player (b. 1934).
  • Jacques Dessange, hairdresser (b. 1925).
  • Alexandre Matheron, philosopher (b. 1926).
• 9 January
  • Jacques de Bauffremont, 8th Duke of Bauffremont and 10th Prince of Marnay (b. 1922).
  • Robert Molimard, doctor and professor (b. 1927).
• 10 January
  • André Capron, immunologist and parasitologist (b. 1930).
  • Bernard Joly, politician (b. 1934).
• 11 January
  • Jean-René Farthouat, lawyer (b. 1934).
  • Alana Filippi, singer and songwriter (b. 1960).
  • Hilarion Vendégou, politician (b. 1941).
• 12 January – Marc Riolacci, football administrator (b. 1945).
• 13 January
  • Jean Delumeau, historian (b. 1923).
  • Pierre Lacoste, marine officer and government official (b. 1924).
  • Maurice Moucheraud, road racing cyclist (b. 1933).
• 14 January – Guy Deplus, clarinetist (b. 1924).[10]
• 19 January – Guy Thomas, Belgian-born French songwriter (b. 1934).[11]
• 20 January – Gilles Delouche, scholar of classical literature of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (b. 1948).
• 21 January – Sébastien Demorand, journalist and food critic (b. 1969).
• 25 January – Denis Rivière, painter (b. 1945).
• 26 January
  • Hubert Mingarelli, writer (b. 1956).
  • Michou, cabaret artist (b. 1931).
• 26 January
  • Émile Jung, chef (b. 1941).
  • Norbert Moutier, publisher and writer (b. 1941).
• 28 January – Théo Klein, lawyer (b. 1920).
• 29 January
  • Georges-Hilaire Dupont, prelate of the Roman Catholic Church (b. 1919).
  • Félix Marcilhac, art historian (b. 1941).
• 30 January – Roger Holeindre, politician (b. 1929).
• 31 January
  • Michel Billière, rugby union player (b. 1943).
  • Guy Delcourt, politician (b. 1947).
  • Delphine Forest, actress (b. 1966).

February

Philippe Adamov

François André

• 2 February – Claire Clouzot, journalist (b. 1933).
• 3 February
  • Philippe Adamov, cartoonist (b. 1956).
  • David Kessler, senior official (b. 1959).
  • George Steiner, author (b. 1929).
• 4 February
  • Marie-Fanny Gournay, politician (b. 1926).
  • Zwy Milshtein, painter (b. 1934).
• 5 February – Yves Pouliquen, ophthalmologist (b. 1931).
• 6 February – Bruno Léchevin, trade unionist (b. 1952).
• 7 February – Pierre Guyotat, writer (b. 1940).
• 8 February
  • Maurice Girardot, basketball player (b. 1921).
  • Robert Massin, graphic designer (b. 1925).
• 10 February – Claire Bretécher, cartoonist (b. 1940).
• 11 February
  • François André, politician (b. 1967).
  • Jacques Mehler, cognitive psychologist (b. 1936).
• 12 February – Simone Créantor, athlete (b. 1948).
• 13 February
  • Christophe Desjardins, violist (b. 1962).
  • Hubert Boulard, comics writer and colorist (b. 1971).
• 14 February – Gilbert Belin, politician and sculptor (b. 1927).
• 16 February – Graeme Allwright, singer and songwriter (b. 1926).

March

• 21 March – Marguerite Aucouturier, Czech-born psychoanalyst (b. 1932).
• 26 March – Princess María Teresa of Bourbon-Parma, French-Spanish political activist and academic (b. 1933).
• 27 March – Jacques F. Acar, Senegal-born doctor (b. 1931).

April

• 1 April – Philippe Malaurie, lawyer (b. 1925).[12]
• 2 April – Arnold Sowinski, football player (b. 1931).[13]
• 19 April
  • Edmond Baraffe, football player and manager (b. 1942).[14]
  • Philippe Nahon, actor (b. 1938).[15]

May

• 13 May – Patrick Simon, politician (b. circa 1956).[16]

July

• 25 July – Olivia de Havilland, Japanese-born British-American film actress (b. 1916)
• 28 July – Gisèle Halimi, Tunisian and French lawyer, feminist, and essayist (b. 1927)

August

Bernard Stiegler

• 1 August – Alex Dupont, footballer (b. 1954).[17]

• 5 August
  • Claudine Cassereau, model and pageant winner, (b. 1953).[18]
  • Philippe Mongin, economist (b. 1950).[19]
  • Pierre Robin, aeroplane designer (b. 1927).[20]
  • Frédéric Jacques Temple, poet and writer (b. 1921).[21]
• 6 August
  • Boris Bobrinskoy, Eastern Orthodox theologian (b. 1925).[22]
  • Louis Meznarie, automotive engineer (b. 1930).[23]
  • Paul Schaffer, Holocaust survivor (b. 1924).[24]
  • Bernard Stiegler, philosopher (b. 1952).[25]
  • Pierre Viot, executive (b. 1925).[26]

See also

Country overviews

• France
• History of France
• History of modern France
• Outline of France
• Government of France
• Politics of France
• Years in France
• Timeline of France history

Related timelines for current period

• 2020
• 2020 in politics and government
• 2020s

References

1. "Paris Villejuif stabbings: Attacker 'had psychiatric condition'". BBC News. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
2. Police backup called to guard President Macron as protesters try to storm theater By Saskya Vandoorne, Milena Veselinovic, and Martin Goillandeau, CNN, 18 January 2020
3. "France confirms three cases of deadly coronavirus". The Independent. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
4. "Attaque au couteau de Romans-sur-Isère. La thèse terroriste ne fait pas de doute". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2020.
5. Petski, Denise (14 April 2020). "French President Emmanuel Macron's Coronavirus TV Address Draws Record-Shattering 35M+ Viewers". Deadline. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
6. Agence France-Presse (15 June 2020). "French City Rocked by Unrest Blamed on Score-Settling Chechens". The Moscow Times.
7. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-perpignan/far-right-to-win-southern-french-town-of-perpignan-exit-poll-idUSKBN23Z0PM
8. "Paris will host the European Athletics Championships 2020". european-athletics.org. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
9. "Nathaël Julan (Guingamp) mort dans un accident de la route". lequipe.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 January 2020.
10. "Décès du clarinettiste Guy Deplus". Res Musica (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2020.
11. "Thomas, Guy (1934–....)". Catalogue général (in French).
12. "Hommage à Philippe Malaurie (1925–2020)" [Homage to Philippe Malaurie (1925–2020)] (in French). University of Poitiers. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020.
13. "Disparition : Arnold Sowinski, ancien entraîneur du RC Lens, est mort" [Disappearance: Arnold Sowinski, former coach of RC Lens, is dead] (in French). L'Équipe. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
14. "Edmond Baraffe, ancien entraîneur du Touquet, est décédé". Les Echos du Touquet. 19 April 2020.
15. "Philippe Nahon est mort : l'acteur victime du coronavirus". purepeople.com.
16. Shields, Bevan (14 May 2020). "Australia's best friend in France dies from coronavirus". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
17. "Ancien entraîneur emblématique de Dunkerque, Alex Dupont est décédé". lavoixdunord.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
18. "Claudine Cassereau, Miss France 72 et originaire de Loudun, est décédée". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
19. "Disparition : Philippe Mongin, un passionné d'économie et de philosophie". lesechos.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
20. "Décès de Pierre Robin". aerobuzz.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
21. "Le poète Frédéric Jacques Temple est mort à 98 ans". francetvinfo.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
22. "Le théologien orthodoxe Boris Bobrinskoy est mort". la-croix.com (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
23. "Louis Meznarie nous a quitté à 90 ans". autonewsinfo.com (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
24. "Paul Schaffer, rescapé de la Shoah, est mort". liberation.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
25. "Le philosophe Bernard Stiegler est mort". lefigaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.
26. "Décès de Pierre Viot, ancien président du Festival de Cannes". lefigaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 September 2020.