Liberation! Photo by Vincent-T for Creative Commons Flickr
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 • Paris, France
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Sixty-six years ago today, the city of Paris was liberated from German occupation during World War II, thanks to the French Resistance, the French Forces of the Interior (Forces Française de l'Intérieur, FFI) with backup from the Free French Army of Liberation and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
The city hall has posted a comprehensive document of the history of the event (84 pages in French) on the Paris.fr Web site that I encourage you to download and read -- or at least peruse the photos. No, I wasn't there, but still these images bring tears to my eyes.
It's hard to imagine Paris any other way than its bright, clean, beautiful, romantic, free-spirited self -- that the city was at one time strangled by such oppression under the Vichy Government that sent thousands of Jews to concentration camps, and hundreds of thousands of laborers to Germany to work in war production as slave labor.
Imagine what Paris must have been like for the German occupiers. They enjoyed the city's movie houses, burlesque theaters, and dance halls, not to mention the French culture, cuisine, art and esthetics, while Parisians were suffering under their tyranny. Liberation Day must have been one of the most exciting moments in French history -- almost as thrilling as the French Revolution storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789.
There are ceremonies held today at the Hôtel de Ville that you can attend beginning at 4 p.m. with music, military displays, speeches and the passage of three fighter planes. (I witnessed them on a practice mission yesterday afternoon making quite a loud roar and looking very powerful as they zoomed overhead against a bright blue sky.)
There are more commemorations in other spots around town today: this morning at the Gare de l'Est at a commemorative plaque of the Deportees, at Place de Stalingrad around the "Arbre de la Libération-Victoire" and this afternoon at Place du 18 Juin 1940 in front of the Gare Montparnasse and a military ceremony in homage to the 2nd DB (Division Blindée) of General Leclerc on the "dalle" (roof) of the Montparnasse-Jardin Atlantique.
Meanwhile, while we think of freedom and liberation, and while in the background I can hear military band trumpets being played at one of the many unofficial ceremonies, I am in receipt of a memo from my "little birdie" at the City Hall titled "Quel scandale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It seems that the U.S. is considering imposing a tax on European visitors of $14 (and on other nationals of countries with visa exemptions). (Ten dollars from the tax will be used to promote tourism in the United States and the remaining $4 to pay for the costs of the Electronic System Travel Authorization.)
The European Commission of Interior Affairs is horrified by the imposition of the tax, claiming that it is, in effect, a re-introduction of a visa and could encourage Europe to do the same to American visitors. One online article I read already responded with the headline of "European Commission may consider reintroduction of visa obligation for US citizens."
Can someone tell me what this world is coming to, when in this 'global society' of ours which has no borders by virtue of Cyber Space networking that we must make our own allies and neighbors feel like unwelcome enemies?
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
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