On Friday, May 8 in Carmaux, students from the Defense class at Victor Hugo College participated in the commemoration of the armistice of May 8, 1945 and the tribute paid to the Righteous Among the Nations of Carmaux.
In his speech, Vincent Recoules, regional counselor, welcomed the presence of the students and teachers: “Your presence gives all its meaning to this ceremony. Because the memory is not only about the past. It enlightens our future.”
Dressed in period costumes, the students prepared 3 particularly moving interventions, with their teachers Sabrina Barthélémy and Philippe Farret, who said: “The students have worked well. This May 8, they will read the UFAC (French Union of Veterans and Victims of War Associations) speech, the poem The Righteous by Paul Rozenberg, and the tribute speech to the Resistance fighters of Carmaux, which they themselves have written with their teacher.”
Highly involved in the duty of remembrance, Vincent Recoules recalled that the Occitanie region: “Has been taking concrete action for several years through its regional plan of actions against racism and anti-Semitism adopted in 2020.”
A plan based on 3 essential priorities: “Educate, transmit, act. Transmit history, particularly through educational trips organized with the Shoah Memorial. Educate in critical thinking, respect for others, and republican values. And act alongside associations, local authorities, and citizens who reject all forms of discrimination.”
