The Macrons tour Berlin. - Annoyance spawns following jokes at Holocaust remembrance site
During his visit to Germany, Macron, alongside his wife Brigitte, paid a visit to the Holocaust memorial in Berlin where they laid a wreath, walked through the field of stelae, and toured the museum located under the memorial site. They were joined by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender.
However, there was a brief moment of confusion: After the museum visit, images of Brigitte Macron and Elke Büdenbender laughing in the field of stelae surfaced, causing dismay abroad. "France's First Lady [...] laughs together with the wife of the German President [...] at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin over a joke," wrote the British "Daily Mail."
The reason for their laughter remains unclear.
In their guest book entry, the Macrons praised the "universal humanism" as the foundation of the "indestructible friendship" between France and Germany, and expressed their gratitude for "preserving the memory of the past."
The French President and his wife were accompanied by the German-French couple Beate and Serge Klarsfeld. The couple, a lawyer and journalist, have dedicated their lives to hunting down hidden Nazis and keeping the memory of Shoah victims alive. Their son Arno, also a lawyer and politician, was present.
Serge Klarsfeld commented on the visit, saying it was especially significant "in this difficult moment for the Jewish community, which is affected by events in Israel." He added, "We are also engaged in Europe, so that such a war never happens again and such memorials are not needed." Beate Klarsfeld lamented that "young people no longer know the history."
Their words take on greater importance given recent events on the holiday island of Sylt, where party guests shouted Nazi slogans.
At the French embassy, Macron honored the Klarsfelds: Beate Klarsfeld was made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, and Serge Klarsfeld received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
Macron commended Serge Klarsfeld, stating, "I am not a Nazi hunter, you say. I am one who seeks to give the lost Jewish souls of the Shoah a face and a voice." The Klarsfelds have enabled those responsible for Jewish persecution to face justice and allowed the victims to be remembered permanently.
He applauded the couple, stating, "They have allowed Europe to confront its history."
Following their visit to the memorial, French President Macron continued his journey to Saxony. Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer welcomed Macron and his wife Brigitte in the afternoon at Schloss Moritzburg near Dresden. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender also joined them.
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Source: symclub.org