Why Is Macron Leading the Ceremony for the Last Time, and Why Do Historians Disagree on the Status of May 8?
Source:Franceinfo
81 years since victory, Macron’s last May 8 before the elections, the Pacific Battalion and the forgotten war, the Nuremberg Trials and a holiday that was cancelled three times
This is covered in a report by Franceinfo (France Télévisions) and the official ceremony on the Champs-Élysées.
On Friday, May 8, Emmanuel Macron led the Second World War victory anniversary celebrations on the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the last time. France marked the 81st anniversary of the 1945 victory.
The president laid a wreath at the foot of the statue of General de Gaulle, then led the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. The program included a review of troops, including students from the École Polytechnique and the Naval School’s “mousse school”, followed by a tribute to those who died for France. The ceremony ended with a salute to the Committee of the Flaming Flame and the flag bearers, the signing of the book of honour and a salute from political and military authorities.
But the main focus of this report is not the ceremony itself, but three historical reminders from Franceinfo.
First. In the collective consciousness, May 8 marks the end of hostilities in Europe, but the war in the Pacific continued until Japan’s surrender in early September 1945. A French regiment — the Pacific Battalion — took part in these battles, and France 2 dedicated a report to it in its special programme. This unit, which numbered up to 2,000 men, was not disbanded until May 5, 1946, after soldiers stationed abroad had returned home.
Second. The 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials. In November 1945, immediately after the end of hostilities, the trial of Nazi leaders began. It lasted nearly a year, until October 1, 1946. On France 2, historian Annette Wieviorka, author of a book on these trials, detailed the international consequences of this historic verdict. Japanese military leaders were tried separately in a case that ended in 1948, but it did not receive the same international attention.
Third. The status of May 8 in France has changed several times. It became a public holiday in 1953. Then lost that status in 1959. It was observed again in 1968. Then was downgraded to an ordinary day again in 1975. It was François Mitterrand who finally restored it in 1981.
While politicians argue about the number of holidays, veterans and historians remind us: memory is not a calendar. It is the willingness to remember even what is uncomfortable. And to pass it on to those who never knew living witnesses.
