Remarks by General Charles de Gaulle: “Pure and good companion of those who had faith only in France and who heroically knew how to die for her. The pivotal role he played in our fight will never be told by himself, but it is not without emotion that one will read the Journal that Jean Moulin wrote about the events that led him from 1940 to say NO to the enemy. The strength of character, foresight, and energy he demonstrated on that occasion never wavered. May his name remain alive as his work remains alive!”
The unveiling of the commemorative plaque on the facade of the building at 22 rue de France, where Jean Moulin resided for a few months, was an opportunity to remember a hero of the Resistance whose ashes are kept in the Panthéon.
Indeed, the Romarin Gallery (inaugurated on February 9, 1943), now a commercial space and private apartment in an anonymous building, was chosen by Jean Moulin for his leadership activities in the Resistance. This choice also stemmed from his passion for drawing, which he practiced during his adolescence with notable talent.
The gallery, rented at the end of 1942, was entrusted to Jean Moulin’s friend, Colette Pons. It allowed Jean Moulin to conceal the clandestine activities of the Resistance through his work as an art dealer, from October 1942 to June 1943, before his arrest in Caluire. Jean Moulin, unifier of the Resistance and creator of the National Council of the Resistance, sacrificed his life so that France might live free.
The contacts Jean Moulin made from Nice with Resistance movements were a preliminary step in creating the National Council of the Resistance. General de Gaulle had indeed assigned Jean Moulin the task of uniting Resistance movements to prepare for the liberation of France and show the allies the unity of Free France and Resistant France. Jean Moulin succeeded in this task and was its first president.
For Christian Estrosi: “That Jean Moulin chose Nice to begin, on national territory, his fight for the liberation of France is proof, far removed from clichés, that Nice has always been welcoming to freedom fighters.”
Sub-Prefect Jean-Daniel Montet-Jourdan mentioned the words spoken by “the prefect” Jean Moulin during the first meeting of the CNR, whose 70th anniversary will be celebrated next May 27: “To wage war, return the voice to the French people, restore republican liberties in a state where social justice is not excluded and which will have a sense of grandeur; to work with the Allies for the establishment of a real international collaboration on an economic and social level in a world where France will have regained its prestige.”
What modernity and foresight these words offer us!
To conclude by affirming: “Jean Moulin epitomizes determination, a determination to serve France, to serve the Republic, and to serve democracy; it is in the name of these values that I wish to honor his memory by inviting each of us to draw from his example to contribute to the general interest and republican fraternity.”
