One the one hand, this invitation strengthens the Franco-German alliance, sparking a friendship that is leading to a better France, demonstrated in plans for French infrastructure reform. The post war period is over and more than 50 years of French partnerships in NATO and the EU have reconciled the nations. France has a responsibility to unite internally and externally against future conflicts and terrorism, so that such atrocities won’t have the chance to be repeated.
Nowadays, for France, D-Day has become representative of the struggle for freedom and democracy, which is symbolic of France’s resistance movement. An Elysee spokesperson said the focus should be on joint-remembrance because France’s peace and prosperity is owed to the generation that fought. This would make honouring the dead admirable as it shows that France realises that both sides had losses.
Additionally, France only invited Germany because they had taken liability for the war, which had helped France to learn from past and present international mistakes. As a result President Chirac said that “the French receive you as a brother”, which acknowledged German responsibility. But, President Chirac said privately; “France knows who caused the war and take it seriously.”
In contrast, many French believe the Germans killed all of those buried in Normandy, resulting from acts such as the Oradour-sur-Glane massacres. Therefore, German attendance on tainted French soil would be hypocritical because they were the reason for France’s losses. Amnesty shouldn’t be made in the dead’s graves as this can insult the widows. The widows may feel that this invitation is forcing them to remember those that killed their loved ones, which is counterproductive.
Lastly, this invitation was only French, not a united allied one. Consequently, it seems to just be a political move, with President Chirac apparently anxious to parade a Franco-German alliance. But, when France should be remembering those that liberated their country, Chirac invites Schröder to show how “close” they are. This reason is impertinent.
Personally, I believe that France should have invited Germany. History is to be learnt from, not obsessed with. For example, if the French veterans, who extended this invitation, can forgive and take on a “give-peace-a-chance” mentality, why can’t the rest of us, that didn’t experience the events, do the same? Younger generations cannot be held responsible for the actions of their ancestors. We need to remember that D-Day is about remembering those that fought and died, especially for France, as it was their beaches that were stained with innocent blood for French liberation.
