SHARE
COPY LINK

WAR

France honours youngest-ever WWII resistance hero

France paid tribute to a six-year-old boy regarded as its youngest resistance hero in French history on Wednesday as part of the nationwide Armistice Day ceremonies in memory of those who died in World Wars I and II.

France honours youngest-ever WWII resistance hero
This year's November 11th WWII ceremonies was different, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron as they honour the memory of Charles de Gaulle. Ph

In a special ceremony, the name of Marcel Pinte, who was only six years old when he was accidentally shot by friendly fire, was inscribed on the war memorial of Aixe-sur-Vienne, just west of the central city of Limoges.

Marcel, known as Quinquin, is seen as a hero for carrying messages under his shirt to leaders of the resistance against Nazi occupation during World War II.

He died, aged just six, on August 19th, 1944, when a large deployment of resistance fighters arrived by parachute ahead of an expected battle around Aixe as Allied forces began to liberate France.

They were heavily armed and Marcel was hit by several bullets when a Sten sub-machine gun went off accidentally. 

“People who pass by this monument to the dead will notice his name and particularly his age,” said a family member, Marc Pinte.

“It's an honour. It throws a light on those who remained in the shadow but who fought for freedom.”

In 1950, Marcel was posthumously awarded the rank of sergeant of the resistance.

And in 2013, he posthumously received an official card for “volunteer combatants of the Resistance” from the National Office of Former Combatants

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WAR

French forces tortured and murdered Algerian freedom fighter in 1950s, admits Macron

French forces "tortured and murdered" Algerian freedom fighter Ali Boumendjel during his country's war for independence, President Emmanuel Macron admitted on Tuesday, officially reappraising a death that was covered up as a suicide.

French forces tortured and murdered Algerian freedom fighter in 1950s, admits Macron
Malika, the widow of Ali Boumendjel, pictured in 2001. Photo: Stefan Fferberg/AFP

Macron made the admission “in the name of France” during a meeting with Boumendjel’s grandchildren.

The move comes after Macron in January refused to issue an official apology for abuses committed during the occupation of Algeria – instead, he agreed to form a “truth commission” as recommended by a report commissioned by the government to shed light on France’s colonial past.

Atrocities committed by both sides during the 1954-1962 Algerian war of independence continue to strain relations between the countries.

Boumendjel, a nationalist and lawyer, was arrested during the battle of Algiers by the French army, “placed incommunicado, tortured, and then killed on 23 March 1957,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

“Ali Boumendjel did not commit suicide. He was tortured and then killed,” Macron told Boumendjel’s grandchildren, according to the statement.

It is not the first time the real cause of death was acknowledged.

In 2000, the former head of French intelligence in Algiers Paul Aussaresses confessed to ordering Boumendjel’s death and disguising the murder as a suicide, according to the statement.

It added that Macron on Tuesday had also reiterated his desire to give families the opportunity to find out the truth about this chapter of history.

Last month, Boumendjel’s niece Fadela Boumendjel-Chitour denounced what she called the “devastating” lie the French state had told about her uncle.

French historian Benjamin Stora, who wrote the government-commissioned report, has said there is a “never-ending memory war” between the two countries.

The report has been described by the Algerian government as “not objective” and falling “below expectations.”

During his 2017 election campaign, Macron – the first president born after the colonial period – declared that the occupation of Algeria was a “crime against humanity”.

He has since said there was “no question of showing repentance” or of “presenting an apology” for abuses committed in the North African country.

SHOW COMMENTS