© Claudia Kollwelter
A memorial was held on Tuesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of forced conscription in the Grand Duchy during the Second World War.
Flowers were laid in significant spots around the country, including outside the Victor Hugo Hall in Limpertsberg.
Josy Lorent, president of the Fédération des Enrôlés de Force, Victimes du nazisme (federation of forced conscripts and victims of Nazism), explained the old halls in Limpertsberg had served as the backdrop to Gauleiter Gustav Simon's propaganda event, which declared that Luxembourgers born between 1920 and 1924 would have to forcibly join the Wehrmacht.
Later, young Luxembourgers born in 1925-1927 were added to that cohort. 30 August marked 80 years since the event. Many citizens at the time resisted the Nazi regime on that day, and some paid for their resistance with their lives, explained Lorent. It is vital that this war crime be remembered, he added:
"One has the impression that humanity learns nothing and does not want to learn. In order to teach young people, we distribute around 20,000 leaflets to schools and we organise visits with contemporary witnesses."
Lorent went on to say that one could never tire of reminding people of the horrors of the past.
In addition to laying flowers in Limpertsberg and Hollerich, a memorial mass was held for all victims of the Second World War, as well as an academic session held at the former Arbed seat on Avenue de la Liberté.
© Claudia Kollwelter
