Polish leader Tusk appeals for unity as Netherlands marks 80th anniversary of WWII liberation

WAGENINGEN, Netherlands (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made an impassioned plea for European and transatlantic unity Monday in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands from World War II German occupation.

“The experience gained 80 years ago tells us that only when (we) stand together can we overcome,” Tusk said.

He added that “in the face of the threat posed by (President Vladimir) Putin’s Russia we need to deepen our European and transatlantic life, and we need genuine solidarity.”

Tusk spoke at a Dutch Liberation Day ceremony where WWII veterans were given a standing ovation by crowds who lined streets to watch a military parade as modern and wartime aircraft flew overhead. Polish troops were among Allied forces who helped liberate the Netherlands.

Festivities in Wageningen centered on a square outside the Hotel de Wereld, where German top brass signed papers on May 5, 1945, that formally ended the brutal five-year occupation as the war drew to a close across Europe.

A small group of veterans, their chests decorated with medals and legs covered in blankets, sat on the front row watching the ceremony. More veterans took part in the parade, some saluting, others blowing kisses to the crowds. Some held tulips and other flowers.

Germany finally surrendered on May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day.

Liberation Day in the Netherlands is celebrated on May 5, a day after the country observes two minutes of silence to honor its war dead.

Like Tusk, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans used the occasion to call for renewed efforts to nurture peace.

“War and aggression are back in Europe and it is up to us to protect peace,” he said.

Brekelmans’ speech was briefly disturbed by a small group of protesters who shouted “Free free Palestine!” Police detained five people as Brekelmans continued to address the crowd, some of whom booed at the demonstrators as they were led away.

Later Monday, a smoke canister was thrown onto a festival stage in Wageningen where Tusk and his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof were standing. There no immediate reports of arrests.

On Sunday, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and others laid wreaths at the national monument in Amsterdam, and two veterans lit a Liberation Fire in Wageningen hours later.

Mervyn Kersh, a 100-year-old veteran from Britain, and Nick Janicki, 101, from Canada, ignited the flame in Wageningen’s central May 5 Square.

The country’s southern regions were freed in 1944 but the populous western towns and cities had to wait months and endure a devastating famine known as the Hunger Winter that killed thousands.

Events across Europe marking the end of the 1939-45 war come as the traditional friendly links with the United States, whose forces helped liberate the Netherlands and much of the continent, are fraying. The European Union and the administration of President Donald Trump are now embroiled in a trade war.

Tusk appealed for unity at a time of global insecurity.

“Genuine solidarity between people and nations that will prevent the evil from shaping our present and future,” he said. “The time of Europe’s carefree comfort, joyous unconcern is over. Today is the time of European mobilization around our fundamental values and our security.”