A day to honor and defend democracy

Il litorale di Saint Laurent-sur-Mer ha ospitato giovedì le commemorazioni per l’80esimo anniversario dello sbarco in Normandia: un’occasione onorata da tutti i maggiori leader europei che si sono riuniti sull’allora Omaha Beach per ricordare il valore della libertà e denunciare la minaccia delle dittature.

All’evento hanno partecipato numerose personalità della politica occidentale. Tra le varie: il presidente statunitense Joe Biden, il suo omologo francese Emmanuel Macron, il premier olandese Mark Rutte e quello canadese Justin Trudeau, il cancelliere tedesco Olaf Scholz, il presidente della Repubblica italiana Sergio Mattarella e il presidente del Consiglio europeo Charles Michel. Ospite d’onore: il presidente in guerra, Volodymyr Zelensky, accompagnato dalla moglie.

“We know the dark forces these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never disappear,” Biden said during a ceremony at an American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, northern France. Democracy is never guaranteed, he warned: “Every generation must preserve it, defend it and fight for it.”

“The battle between dictatorship and freedom never ends. Here in Europe we see a clear example of this,” Biden said, referring to Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. He then assured that the United States will continue to stand by Kiev.

Biden recalled the commitment of the D-Day fighters and warned: “In memory of those who fought here, who died here, who literally saved the world here, let us be worthy of their sacrifice.”

For the anniversary, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked the soldiers who fought: “They left everything for our independence and for our freedom. We will not forget him,” he said Thursday at the American military cemetery in Colleville, in the presence of about 170 veterans. “The free world needed each of you and you did not miss the call.”

Macron honored 11 elderly US veterans with the title Knights of the Legion of Honor for their service at the time. Previously, during another ceremony, Macron had also awarded the high honor to the British veteran Christian Lamb, who played a key role in planning the landing operation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, however, honored the Normandy landings as a “day of liberation” for France and many other occupied European countries, including Germany.

The date marked “the beginning of the end of the inhuman system of National Socialism, its racial mania and militarism, its desire for destruction and imperialist fantasies,” Scholz wrote in an article published Thursday for a French newspaper. The courage of the liberators opened Germany’s path to democracy and freedom, prosperity and the rule of law. “Their courage gave us Germans the chance for a new beginning.”

In his speech, Scholz also made a connection to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “For Germany and our partners and allies, one thing is clear: brutal Russian imperialism must not succeed. And it will not succeed because we will continue to support Ukraine in its heroic defense campaign for as long as necessary.”