'I read of politicians mired in financial corruption….where is respect for their office and the electorate?'
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At ten minutes to midday on the eleventh of November 1943 a lorry pulled up in the main square of Oyonnax, a small town in South East France.
Thirty young men jumped down, they were armed and wearing uniforms with a tricolour on their sleeves.
These were maquis resistance fighters. They immediately deployed into three groups and seized the police station, the post office and the barracks without a shot being fired.
Five more lorries then pulled up, also filled with maquis and at 12 midday precisely they formed up and marched to the war memorial where they laid a wreath in the shape of the cross of Lorraine, with the message ‘To the victors of 1914-1918 from the victors of tomorrow.’
The last post was played, there was a minutes silence and then the assembled crowd found the courage to sing the Marseillaise.
For a few minutes freedom was brought to the town and the nazi propaganda that cast the maquis as thieves and brigands was forever dispelled.
The parade was risky and incredibly foolhardy, the maquis revealing their faces to the scrutiny of any collaborators who may have been present in the crowd. Sadly three weeks later the Mayor and two of his deputies were shot in reprisal.
But that courageous act of defiance saw the ranks of the resistance swell with recruits, and perhaps most importantly of all, it signalled that France was still fighting, it won respect from around the world.
On the eve of Remembrance Day as we pause to remember those who gave their lives to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today, I cannot help wondering, where has the respect gone?
All too often I see rubbish thrown into the countryside….where is respect for our country?
I read of politicians mired in financial corruption….where is respect for their office and the electorate? People hide behind the anonymity of social media trolling others in a way they would never do in person.
COP26 respect for the planet?…. Only time will tell.
Those maquis in 1943 knew what they were fighting for, they understood the importance of respect, that it is the bedrock of civilisation and of our freedom. Respect has to be earned, it requires selflessness and dedication to a higher cause.
