Images and stories from the 80th anniversary

Images and stories from the 80th anniversary of the liberation can be found here

This year, the texts with focus on the younger generation are linked to the images in comic strip form.

Marine:

History teaches us that authoritarianism and populism, as manifested during the Second World War, enabled individuals and institutions to justify oppression and persecution. Hatred, when unchecked, becomes a destructive force that crushes human dignity. It is imperative that we study these mechanisms, not only to understand how they developed, but also to learn how to recognize them in our own time. Identifying these patterns allows us to be better prepared to respond, to resist, and to act, whether we are witnesses, victims, or, sometimes unknowingly, accomplices.

Read her speech here

Franziska Sessler:

An impassioned speech by Lina Haag's granddaughter. Read about Lina Haag on wikipedia here

People would come to our house — sometimes even the press — to talk about the book. That book. As soon as I could read, I wanted to read that book. Not children’s books — that book. I was told I was too young and needed to wait. But at nine, I secretly took the book and read it under my blanket with a flashlight. That moment changed my life.

read her speech here

Noémie Hernandez Bernard:

C’est à moi, et à chacun d’entre nous, de faire vivre ces voix. De les faire entendre aux jeunes générations, dans nos écoles, nos quartiers, nos familles. Pour que la mémoire ne soit pas un simple devoir, mais un engagement vivant, une force d’humanité contre toutes les formes de haine et d’intolérance.

Read her speech here (Francais)

Es liegt an mir – und an uns allen – diese Stimmen weiterleben zu lassen. Sie hörbar zu machen für die jungen Generationen – in unseren Schulen, unseren Stadtvierteln, unseren Familien. Damit Erinnerung nicht nur eine Pflicht ist, sondern ein lebendiges Engagement – eine menschliche Kraft gegen jede Form von Hass und Intoleranz.

Read her speech here(Deutch)

Or read the words of CID president Dominique Boueilh on the future of remembrance. here

Or go to the first page of this image collection here