Remembering Armistice Day in Europe: Liberty should be cherished and defended
Many European leaders have marked the end 106 years ago of World War I with warnings that liberty should be cherished and defended as armed conflict has returned to the continent
BRUSSELS (AP) — With armed conflict again on their continent, many European leaders marked the end 106 years ago of World War I with warnings that liberty, so often taken as self-evident, should be cherished and defended.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, leaders both of nations with nuclear arsenals, were in Paris under the Arc de Triomphe, where dozens of wreaths were touched by a milky light and the eternal flame flickered to honor sacrifices of unknown French soldiers who perished in the first global conflict. That war killed almost 10 million soldiers.
“I am honored to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today,” Starmer said.
His Defense Secretary John Healey told Sky News the ceremonies amounted to a reminder that “we can never take the freedoms we enjoy in Europe for granted”.
