For the hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War, in 2018, the brand new President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, showed the way to what his mandates at the head of France would be on the memorial side. Tributes and sustained ceremonies, for fighters but not only. Since 2017, more than twenty tributes have been paid to personalities such as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean d’Ormesson and several personalities have entered the Pantheon, such as Simone and Antoine Veil in 2018, the writer Maurice Genevoix in 2020 , Joséphine Baker in 2021 and, this year, on February 21, 2024, Missak and Mélinée Manouchian.
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Unify the nation
For the 80e anniversary of the Normandy landings, the President, a few days before the European elections, could not miss this opportunity to send strong messages through ceremonies to unify the nation. It will highlight the role of those who resisted the invader, but also the collaborationist government of Marshal Pétain. This period “reminds us of the importance of a united Europe, of the strength of our alliances, in a world once again full of risks and uncertainties”he specifies in a press release.
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From Brittany to Normandy
For President Macron, the celebrations concerning the 80e anniversary of the Normandy Landings, will begin on Wednesday June 5, in Brittany. He will chair, in Plumelec (Morbihan), from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a ceremony in tribute to the French maquisards and SAS “ coming from England and from all regions of France, as far as Oceania, who joined forces to hold back the German reinforcements”, he recalls.
Then head to Normandy, in Saint-Lô (Manche), for a ceremony at the stud farm, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., in memory of the civilian victims. “Saint-Lô is the symbol of all our cities which, at that time, experienced destruction. Their suffering, the heroism of the rescuers and the self-sacrifice of those who rebuilt them must find their place in our collective memory. »
At the end of this, Emmanuel Macron will take the road to Caen (Calvados), where he will pay tribute to those shot at the prison, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
International ceremony
Thursday June 6, the French president will attend the one at the British Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer (Calvados), from 10:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Here, Emmanuel Macron will be accompanied by King Charles III and his wife Camilla.
Continuation of this precise journey, with the second binational ceremony, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer (Calvados), alongside the President of the United States, Joe Biden. The schedule for the international ceremony, where twenty-five heads of state and government will meet, has been revealed. It will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Omaha Beach (Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Calvados). “We will never forget the sacrifice of the thousands of young soldiers from across the Atlantic, across the Channel or overseas who died on June 6 on the beaches of Normandy. The gratitude of our country is assured to them forever, and we will express it to the veterans who, immense honor for our country, will still be with us that day. »
The next day, Friday June 7, Emmanuel Macron will chair a ceremony “on the return of republican sovereignty and state authority”from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., in Bayeux (Calvados), before continuing with a visit to the port of Cherbourg (Manche), to salute its importance, from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
