Remembrance Day 2026

Let’s work together to make our freedom great

I’m going back a year in time. It was early May 2025. My first time celebrating Liberation Day in Voorne aan Zee. And it was immediately a very special occasion. Under the bright sun, the Biberbunker was festively reopened. I had the privilege of riding in a 1944 Willy’s Jeep alongside dozens of veterans as part of the 80-kilometer commemorative drive across Voorne-Putten with a massive convoy of historic military vehicles. And after a solemn Remembrance Day ceremony, the hopeful music of the Remembrance and Liberation Concert followed in St. Catharine’s Church, after which I ran up the Grebbeberg in Wageningen at midnight carrying the liberation flame. Each of these moments was beautiful and special in its own right. What made it so special for me, however, was what emerged from that “celebrating our freedom together.” Among our veterans and the many cheerful residents of Voorne aan Zee I Voorne aan Zee a sense of connection and gratitude that touched me more deeply than I had anticipated. Of course, we cannot imagine how the Netherlands truly experienced those May days of 1945, after five years of war and hardship. Only those who were there know how sweet—and sometimes bittersweet—that regained freedom tasted back then. But with a great deal of imagination and empathy, those sunny, festive days last year took you just a tiny bit back to that time.

Celebrating 80 years of freedom was, in other words, a very special anniversary. But 80 years of freedom was memorable for yet another reason. For never before in history has there been such a long, uninterrupted period of peace in Western Europe. And that was truly worth celebrating. Now, 81 years later, however, we see freedom in the world around us crumbling at breakneck speed. This is true in Europe as well, and often in ways that were once unimaginable.

Russian aggression in Ukraine continues unabated, less than a three-day drive from here. The United States—the very country that played a key role in the liberation of Europe during World War II—considers Russia’s annexation of the Donbas a perfectly acceptable condition for peace. And the president of that very same United States is, in all seriousness, threatening to annex Greenland, part of NATO ally Denmark. The Middle East has fallen into a vacuum of war and misery, and China is behaving increasingly aggressively toward free Taiwan. Peace, democracy, and the liberal rule of law were once an ideal for millions of oppressed people. But those concepts seem to be losing their appeal more and more. Even within democracies themselves. Even in the Netherlands, still one of the freest countries in the world, about a third of the population sympathizes with more autocratic forms of government in certain situations. Benjamin Franklin, a “founding father” of the United States, warned two and a half centuries ago: “When you trade freedom for security, you lose both.” We are making our freedom too small. And what is small is easily overlooked. And something you overlook long enough gradually fades from view.

And so we must restore the greatness of our freedom. That is easier said than done. But help is at hand. Help from an unexpected source. We can restore our freedom to the greatness it deserves if we’re willing to be inspired by stories. Stories of people who have made a significant difference to the freedom of others. Sometimes not by doing something grand, but rather by doing something personal. I’d like to share a few inspiring examples with you—some very close to home, and others from further afield.

Soon, I will unveil a commemorative plaque for the Braal family on Zandweg in Oostvoorne. Their story is still little known, but it is a fascinating example of people who played a significant role in securing the freedom of others. During the war, Frans and Mies Braal hid more than 25 people in their home, risking their own lives to do so. Among those who stayed with the couple on Zandweg for a time were British gunner Alan Sinden and Canadian pilot Philip Phocailo, both of whom played a role as wartime pilots in the fight for our freedom. Although Sinden was later discovered by the Germans by chance, both pilots survived the war. Frans and Mies Braal made their home available. And that was of great significance.

After the war, Europe lay in ruins. Sentiment toward Germany was overwhelmingly negative, and mistrust was immense. And there was scarcely any semblance of a viable economy left. But alongside the equally commendable and visionary European Recovery Plan of George C. Marshall, then U.S. Secretary of State—the famous “Marshall Plan”—two men may have played the most important role during that period: German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gaulle. Despite the very recent war between their countries and despite all the mistrust, they dared to forge a close, personal relationship. A relationship that made reconciliation in Europe possible and formed the basis for those 81 years of peace on our continent that I mentioned. Choosing friendship over mistrust and hatred under such circumstances is a deeply personal and courageous act. And therefore of enormous significance.

And finally, a recent example: Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman. She no longer wore a headscarf, but she did embody the desire for freedom and equality shared by millions of Iranian women. The actions of a single young woman nearly brought an entire regime to its knees. A personal act of defiance with far-reaching consequences—for herself as well.

All these champions of our freedom were very different people. People with different personalities, different roles in society, and different backgrounds. And yet they all had one thing in common: by doing something personal, they made the freedom of others great. As early as the late 18th century, the Irish lawyer and politician John Philpot Curran said that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” And he was right. Let’s shape and give substance to that vigilance together. Not by moralizing. Not by being negative. But by letting ourselves be inspired by brave people who, through personal choices, had a profound impact on the freedom of others and of all of us.

Let’s work together to restore our freedom to its former glory. So that we don’t just know about the euphoria of freedom from 1945 from history books, but celebrate it every year as if it were the first time.

Thank you.