Start of commemoration and celebration of 80 years of freedom

Exhibition 80 years of freedom at Historical Museum Den Briel

Ladies and gentlemen,

This afternoon is a very special moment. For we officially start the commemoration and celebration of 80 years of liberation in Voorne aan Zee. And I cannot emphasize it enough: dwelling on our freedom is perhaps more important than ever. Five years ago corona threw a spanner in the works when it came to celebrating 75 years of liberation, but I can assure you, we are now more than making up for it! Last fall we made a start on commemoration. We considered the personal stories of all those brave people who lost their lives in Voorne during the war. Leendert van der Meer, Willem de Waal, father and sons Van der Zee. All men who looked death straight in the face and yet made the choice, I will resist and I will not betray anyone, even if I pay with my life. And there are many like that. Besides all those other people who lost their lives in the horrors of war. The students and staff of the vocational school for girls, who died in the mistaken bombing of Brielle in March 1943. But the pilots of that plane also perished. Loortje van den Blink, only 13 years old, who perished in September '44 when the streetcar she was in was shot at by Allies. Also a mistake. And of course the 45 Jews of Voorne-Putten, who were deported and never returned.

War brings only misery. And all that misery shows all the more how good we have it now. And how unprecedented our freedom is. And yes, I realize that sometimes I seem like a record. And yet I am going to spin that record with the message about our freedom gray! Our freedom cannot be taken for granted. It is wafer thin. Gerard Klein, a friend, and the Jewish son of a Viennese dentist, who spent all of World War II in hiding in Friesland, said a few years ago on May 4, "If there is anything we learn from history, it is that we learn nothing from history. And we see in the world around us how true those words are. Before you know it, freedom slips through your fingers like loose sand. And you've lost it. And so, in addition to remembering, we are going to celebrate in abundance. And we will do so in a way that suits Voorne aan Zee. Full of initiative and creativity of our residents, institutions and entrepreneurs. It is too much to mention, so a modest anthology. 

Parades with veterans in Brielle and Hellevoetsluis, liberation festivals in Brielle and Tinte, the exhibition here in the museum, the freedom fire that will be lit at several places in our municipality, there will be freedom meals in Oudenhoorn and at the Biberbunker: together we will, in other words, put a very big exclamation mark behind our freedom. And together we will say, this freedom is ours and we will not let it be taken away from us! Especially here, where we are the firstfruits of that freedom. Noblesse oblige, right?

And we cherish that freedom, in addition to all those activities I already mentioned, in several ways next weeks. First, by commemorating. We honor the graves of our veterans and resistance heroes. We pause at the trip-stones and remember the Jews of Voorne-Putten who never returned home. But also by fraternizing. We invite musicians from our Czech sister city Havlíčkův Brod to play at the Liberation Concert on May 4. Because music and fraternization across borders is perhaps the best recipe for peace and freedom and the best remedy against war. And we also nurture our freedom by teaching. We take our young people back to the stories of war. With examples, with visuals and with conversations. I have already given a number of guest lectures myself and will do so several more times. Among others tomorrow morning here in Brielle.

I want to conclude with a few words of thanks. To the museum, of course, for this wonderful opportunity. To all the people who have taken wonderful initiatives in the coming weeks to celebrate this freedom and organize wonderful events. I am very grateful for that, that we can do this together. And last but certainly not least to Tilly de Jong. What a rock you are Tilly, without you this would never have gotten off the ground. Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to conclude. I wish you all a meaningful remembrance next month and a wonderful, festive celebration of our freedom!