On 21 and 22 October last, representatives of 7 European countries met in Deinze (Belgium) to debate the how and why of commemorating massacres and other war crimes against civilians in Europe during the Second World War.
The gathering took place against the background of the commemoration of the execution of civilians in Deinze during the May Days of 1940. Mr Herman Van Rompuy, President of the EU, attended the ceremony and paid tribute to the victims.
Together with the Deinze City Council, and with support from the Province of East-Flanders and assistance from the Belgian Institute for Veterans and the Vinkt May 1940 Association, the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation organised a European workshop at Ooidonk Castle on the topic of commemorating the collective violence perpetrated against civilians during WWII.
Various questions were discussed, such as: How do we want to remember what happened, and how can we best present this to young people and future generations? Is it better to focus on what happened locally or to present a more universal message? How can we shape our memory of local events?
Historians, site managers, education experts, philosophers, architects and heritage specialists from Villeneuve d’Ascq (France), Oradour (France), Putten (the Netherlands), Marzabotto, in the massif of Monte Sole (Italy), Sant'Anna di Stazzema (Italy), Michniów (Poland) and Vinkt (Belgium) engaged in the debate – each representing towns and regions where war crimes against civilians were committed during WWII. Attention was also given to war crimes against civilians in Germany. Keynote speaker Dr. John Carman of the University of Birmingham opened the workshop and summarised the results during a solemn session in the church of Vinkt (Deinze).
In the build-up to the event, the schools of Deinze (final year students) elaborated an educational project around this very same topic. This resulted in various peace messages, which were inscribed on a life-size replica of the execution wall of Vinkt. Herman Van Rompuy, too, left a personal message on the wall.
The presence of the President of the European Council was not purely symbolic. Indeed, the European Union came into being in response to the horrors of the Second World War. Now that Europe is consciously building its future identity, we also get the opportunity to fit in the less pleasant elements of our past.
To view some pictures of the Friday 22 October ceremony, click here.
