German and French leaders are singing the praises of European unity as they mark 100 years since the World War I Battle of Verdun, France, determined to show that, despite the bloodbath their countries’ improbable friendship is now a source of hope for today’s fractured Europe.
The 10-month battle at Verdun — the longest in World War I — killed 163,000 French and 143,000 German soldiers and wounded hundreds of thousands of others.
“Verdun is the more than the name of your town — Verdun is also one of the most terrible battles humanity has experienced,” Merkel says in a speech at city hall, calling Hollande’s invitation to join the centenary “a great honor.”
French President Francois Hollande, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel after laying a wreath at a German cemetery in Consenvoye, northeastern France, Sunday May 29, 2016, during a remembrance ceremony to mark the centenary of the battle of Verdun. (Jean Christophe Verhaegen/Pool via AP)
“We are all called upon to keep awake the memory (of Verdun) in the future, because only those who know the past can draw lessons from it,” the German leader says.
Hollande praised the city of Verdun as “the capital of peace.”
“Verdun is a city that represents — at the same time — the worst, where Europe got lost, and the best, a city being able to commit and unite for peace and French-German friendship,” he says.
Merkel adds the commemorations show “how good relations between Germany and France are today” and the achievements of European unity.
— AP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
