On 24 November 2016, the inaugural meeting of the committee for Second World War remembrance took place at Villa Pauly.
Last week marked the constitutive meeting of the committee for the remembrance of the Second World War, at which the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, was present.
As part of the government’s programme, this committee was created on 21 June 2016 and its aims are specified in a Grand Ducal law, which involves the committee keeping the memory of Second World War events alive. Its other missions involve evoking the memory of resistors, forced conscripts, Holocaust victims and victims of the Second World War in general.
Moreover, the committee members should participate in the organisation of the official Second World War commemoration, as well as offering suggestions regarding raising awareness to the public and, more importantly, to young people of remembering the Second World War.
The law also requires the government to ask the committee’s opinion on all questions relating to the remembrance of World War II and consulting it on the organization of National Remembrance Day.
At the meeting, Xavier Bettel stated: “It was the government’s desire for the three communities, who were victims of the Nazi regime, join forces to make the public, and especially the younger generation, aware.” He added that the committee aims to “sustain the memory of the atrocities of the Second World War and make young people aware so as to prevent the repetition of such a tragedy.”
Moreover, the president of the committee as well as two vice-presidents were chosen at random. Albert Hansen was named president whilst Laurent Moyse and Joseph Lorent were named vice-presidents respectively.
Photo by ME: Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister, surrounded by committee members for Second World War remembrance
