Macron hails Resistance martyrs ahead of 80th anniversary of D-Day landings

RFI

16 April 2024 at 6:27 am·1-min read

President Emmanuel Macron visited the southern French town of Vassieux-en-Vercors on Tuesday to lead a tribute to the local Maquis Resistance fighters who launched an attack against pro-Nazi forces 80 years ago – before a final counter-attack by German troops.

Macron's trip to the small village in the Drôme mountains, which was completely destroyed during World War II, is part of a series of commemorative visits to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of France from Nazi occupation.

Earlier this month, the French president visited the Plateau des Glières – the site of another Maquis guerrilla force that was decimated – and the Maison d'Izieu, where Jewish children were rounded up by the Gestapo.

The climax of the commemorations will take place in June in Normandy, in memory of the D-Day landings by Allied forces – the largest seaborne invasion in history.

France's Macron launches season of WWII commemorative events

Tuesday's commemoration was a unique event, as Macron became the first French president to pay tribute there.

The commemoration was also seen as an opportunity to revisit "a time when the French didn't like each other ... which means exposing all the grey areas", a source close to the presidency told the AFP newswire.