Commemorating D-Day 80 years ago
Charles III: Nations must resist tyranny
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D-Day was 80 years ago. A day of remembrance, especially in 2024, but also a day of warning. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine there is war in Europe again. King Charles made it clear in his speech that today, too, nations must stand together against tyranny.
The British King Charles III. and his wife Camilla attended the Franco-British commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy. The British king, wearing uniform, recalled the lessons of history in a speech in Ver-sur-Mer: “Nations must stand together to resist tyranny.”
“How fortunate we and the entire free world are that this generation of women and men from Britain and beyond did not shrink back when this trial came,” said Charles III. with a view to the Allied soldiers at the time. The king also mentioned the ever-decreasing number of veterans. “We have fewer and fewer opportunities to learn firsthand from their experiences. But we are always obliged to remember what they achieved for us,” he added.
In addition to his wife, Charles and his son Prince William traveled to France for the anniversary. William spoke at a memorial ceremony for Canadian soldiers. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron also took part in the ceremony with the British royal couple.
Charles III laid a bouquet of flowers in honor of the killed British soldiers. Macron arrived late for the first of three national commemorations for the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944.
Scholz and Zelenskyj on Omaha Beach
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said “it is our duty to remind future generations of the principles for which we fought: freedom, democracy and justice.” Democracy is still threatened today – “by attackers who want to redraw borders,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is not invited because of the war of aggression in Ukraine.
Trudeau attended the memorial service for the killed Canadian soldiers in Courseulles-sur-Mer along with Prince William. The US memorial service was scheduled to begin around midday in the presence of US President Joe Biden and Macron. Biden and his wife previously greeted several veterans individually.
The central memorial service begins at around 3:30 p.m. at the landing beach of the US soldiers, Omaha Beach. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz are also expected there. The commemorations, which last three days, are taking place this year in the shadow of the Ukraine war.
The Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944 paved the way for Allied victory over Nazi Germany. More than 156,000 Allied soldiers landed, mostly in ships, and others jumped out with parachutes – thereby opening a new front against the German troops. Tens of thousands of soldiers died in the gigantic military operation.
