Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, 6 June 2024: 80 years ago, the allied troops landed on the coast of Normandy. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the memorial event. Upon arrival, he was greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Around 160,000 allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, thus contributing to the liberation of Europe from the National Socialist dictatorship. 200 veterans took part in the memorial event and received special honours.
“The courage of the liberators from Omaha, Juno, Gold, Utah and Sword Beach paved the way for democracy and freedom, for prosperity and the rule of law in Germany,” Federal Chancellor Scholz said.
A number of heads of state and government took part in the memorial event alongside Scholz and honoured the veterans. Among these were US President Joe Biden and King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
In a guest commentary in the French newspaper “Ouest France”, Federal Chancellor Scholz wrote: “Today I feel grateful and humbled, thinking of the free world’s determination to defy the reign of terror and oppression and to defend its own values.”
On the fringes of the event, the Federal Chancellor met with US President Joe Biden, French President Macron and the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.