“It’s a place of freedom, it’s where it started for Europe, it’s a strong symbol”, exclaims Sébastien. This resident of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont wanted a small blue and yellow flag in front of the American Federal Monument at Utah Beach this Saturday, March 5. He came with his Ukrainian companion, Olga, very moved. A hundred people responded to gather in support of their compatriots. The entire family of the 50-year-old is still in the country, including her 73-year-old mother. She did not hide her emotion.
Nathalie, further on, also has many relatives in Ukraine: “There is fear, there is anguish, lots of things, anger. We don’t understand why they are doing this. It’s not last us after all”, points to the young woman.
“It is not possible that we make the same mistakes again”
Near Utah Beach, families and retirees. They laid roses at the foot of the American monument and a minute of silence was observed. “I was born at the end of the Second World War. I was little at the time of the landings”, comments Monica. This Manchoise came with her granddaughter, who continues: “We say to ourselves that it is not possible for us to make the same mistakes again, when it has been said that history is made to learn from its faults. Here we start again in the same ways”wonders Pauline.
During a speech, the president of the Cotentin Bay Community of Communes, Jean-Claude Colombel, called on US President Joe Biden to “bring to reason” Vladimir Putineleven days after Russia invaded Ukraine. The mayor of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Charles de Vallavieille, also spoke.
– Raphael Aubry
In the Channel, two other gatherings brought together nearly 300, as well as a hundred people in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin and Granville this Saturday, March 5.