Europe celebrates 75 years since Nazi defeat with subdued programme
Countries across Europe observed a subdued Victory in Europe (VE) Day, marking 75 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, after a number of landmark anniversary events were cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Three quarters of a century after Russian troops spearheaded the Red Army’s advance into Germany, President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to Chancellor Angela Merkel to mark the event.
Putin and Merkel emphasized the importance of preserving the historical memory of the war’s tragedies and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining constructive ties, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The two leaders “thought of the millions of victims and the immeasurable suffering caused by the war unleashed by Nazi Germany,” the German side said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a German national, said the occasion “marks a decisive moment in the history of humanity.”
“For Europe, this day stands for the end of a cruel war caused by the Nazi regime and the liberation from its darkest hours,” she said.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, the western alliance that emerged from the war, said: “Today we are friends and allies. We remember. And we are stronger together.”
In Berlin, major public events had been planned at the Brandenburg Gate and other historic sites in the German capital, but the programme was called off in early April.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Merkel laid wreaths at the Neue Wache Memorial to the victims of war and dictatorship.
Steinmeier characterized German defeat in 1945 as an act of liberation.
“We were liberated then. Today we have to liberate ourselves,” the German president said, pointing to the dangers of a new nationalism, hatred and incitement, along with “xenophobia and contempt for democracy.”
Just days before the anniversary, comments made by a leading figure in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party caused a storm over how the historical event is remembered in the country.
AfD co-founder and honorary chairman Alexander Gauland was met with scorn after he referred to May 8, 1945, as an “absolute defeat” for the country.
Charlotte Knobloch, head of the Jewish community in Munich, described Gauland’s words as “intolerable” and as part of the AfD’s twisting of historical facts.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting in New York, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned of the destructive dangers of nationalism and bemoaned that that political backing for international institutions “is too often missing today.”
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania took part in a commemoration of the Allied victory in World War II, at a wreath laying ceremony at a memorial in Washington. Trump exchanged words with military veterans and saluted during the event.
In Warsaw, Polish President Andrzej Duda described the anniversary as “bittersweet.” The end of the wartime atrocities had been followed by Poland falling into the Soviet sphere of influence, he noted.
The end of WWII brought true liberation only to states in Western Europe. Countries behind the Iron Curtain had to undergo a decades-long struggle to become truly independent, Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said.
In Britain, celebrations of the 75th anniversary included a parade near Buckingham Palace, but most events were postponed, cancelled or reduced to online commemorations.
Westminster Abbey had a virtual service of thanksgiving and TV stations were to broadcast a recorded speech by Queen Elizabeth II at 9 pm, exactly 75 years after a radio broadcast to the nation by her father, King George VI.
France’s traditional VE Day commemorations were also held in a restricted format due to a coronavirus lockdown.
President Emmanuel Macron was presiding over a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris with senior military officials, without members of the public being present.
In Oslo, Norwegian King Harald and Prime Minister Erna Solberg made speeches at Akershus Fortress where the king laid a wreath.
Read also: Taliban blow up police chief in latest Afghanistan attack
The king noted that the coronavirus pandemic had upended plans for large-scale ceremonies across the Scandinavian country.
“Instead, paradoxically, our freedom has been restricted,” he said referring to social distancing measures and bans on large gatherings. The pandemic had helped serve as a reminder of the importance of fellowship, he said.
In Wellington, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to the country’s veterans. In a video address, Ardern said the day was a chance to pay tribute to the heroism and sacrifice shown by the country’s veterans. (dpa)
