The November 11th ceremony in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert took place before the War Memorial, created by sculptor Eugène Canneel. The mayor's speech highlighted fidelity to the Ancients who experienced the atrocities of the two World Wars and gave their lives to resist. He recalled that the memory of these acts of courage, passed down through generations, is essential for preserving our collective dignity.
Facing the fading of direct testimonies, the mayor emphasized the role of film archives and reconstructive fictions in enabling younger generations to understand the meaning of war and honor. He cited as examples Antonin Baudry's diptych on General de Gaulle and László Nemes's film about Jean Moulin, as powerful works testifying to the audacity and moral and physical courage of exceptional men and women.
The speech focused on the personality of Jean Moulin, far from being a superhero; he was a man with his sensitivities but who placed integrity above all else. Despite the torture he endured after his arrest by the Gestapo, he yielded nothing to his torturers, maintaining his dignity in the face of Klaus Barbie. This universal lesson reminds us that resistance is organized through intelligence and will, founded on the conviction that every human being deserves respect and esteem.
The mayor warned against the drift towards fascism, which begins with a loss of lucidity in the face of attacks on fundamental rights. He called for increased vigilance against everyday deviations and the hatred spreading on social media, urging not to remain silent in the face of immoral encouragement to attack others. He concluded by stating that honor has a name, that of the women and men who saved our collective dignity, while barbarism only carries the shame of the unleashed crowd.
“"Honor has a name, the names of women and men who saved our collective dignity."
The intervention of Gaston Chéronnet, a former member of the Children's Council of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert for the Georges Désir school, was also shared. He recalled that after four years of war in 1918, men and women chose to resist to defend freedom. He expressed his gratitude to them, as thanks to them, he can grow up in peace, go to school freely, and play football with his friends. To remember is to say thank you, to know that peace is never won, and to promise to refuse hatred and war.
