World Leaders and Veterans Commemorate 80th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy
Veterans and world leaders have gathered in Normandy, France to mark the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings, when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers arrived in the country by sea and air to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany.
With war raging in Ukraine, this year's commemoration of this key turning point in World War II carries special resonance. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was not invited.
The anniversary is being marked in a year of many elections, including for the European Parliament this week and in the United States in November. Leaders are set to draw parallels with World War II and warn of the dangers of isolationism and the far right.
'Democracy is literally on the ballot this year,' US President Joe Biden said before traveling to France, emphasizing that sacrifices from D-Day must not be forgotten.
In Arromanches-les-Bains, one of the beaches where Allied troops came ashore 80 years ago, small crowds filtered onto the beach as the tide withdrew on Thursday morning. They were joined by a collection of Second World War Jeeps. Later, an amphibious vehicle came ashore carrying a bagpiper playing a somber tune.
With the number of veterans, many aged 100 or more, fast dwindling, this is likely to be the last significant ceremony in Normandy honoring them in their presence. Around 200 veterans, most of them American or British, are set to take part in ceremonies throughout the day on windswept beaches that still bear the scars of the fighting that erupted on D-Day, history's largest amphibious invasion in which thousands of Allied soldiers died.
Among those who will take part is 101-year-old Bob Gibson, who was in the second wave of soldiers to land on Normandy's Utah Beach. He shared his memories, saying, 'It's like it happened yesterday. You wouldn't believe what I have seen. Terrible. Some of the young fellows never reached the major beach - sometimes it wakes you up at night,' he told the Reuters news agency.
Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Britain's King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and many other political figures took part in the day of tributes, which started with a British ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer.
Leading the commemorations, King Charles emphasized the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by veterans and the French civilians during the battle for Normandy. He paid tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the French Resistance, expressing gratitude and admiration.
At a Canadian ceremony on Juno Beach in nearby Courseulles-Sur-Mer, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated the importance of standing up for democracy, highlighting the ongoing threats democracy faces in the world.
With war also raging in the Middle East and elsewhere, visitors expressed their hopes for peace as they paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the US cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. The solemn occasion moved many, with 66-year-old Brigitte Perdrix saying, 'It's very moving to see that so many young men are buried here. A tribute to them would be for the atrocities and wars ongoing now to stop. It would be like a rose placed on each grave.'
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