This Sunday, at the Nice train station from where the convoys departed that transported over 3,600 Jews from 1943 onwards to extermination camps, civil authorities, Jewish associations, and other faith groups gathered to commemorate the National Day in memory of the victims of racist and anti-Semitic crimes of the French state and to honor the “Righteous” of France.
About a hundred people participated under the plaque placed at Platform No. 1, a symbolic site. Among them were three survivors. The speeches delivered reminded attendees of the duty to remember these crimes against humanity committed in the name of a “blind” ideology, that of the superiority of one race and religion. In the face of the unacceptable, we must oppose the strength of good by upholding essential values. Regarding the current situation, the numerous reported acts of anti-Semitism call for a republican response.
The National Day in memory of the victims of racist and anti-Semitic crimes of the French state and in tribute to the “Righteous” of France reflects the wishes expressed by the Jewish community and many French figures to officially recognize the responsibility of the Vichy regime in the persecutions and crimes against Jews.
During this period, nearly 75,000 people, men, women, and children, were deported and perished. Two texts successively established the modalities of this day. Decree No. 93-150 of February 3, 1993, signed by the President of the Republic François Mitterrand, and Law No. 2000-644 of July 10, 2000, which revises and amends the decree to include a tribute to the “Righteous” of France.
