This year we celebrate that we have not been at war in our country for eighty years. That it has been eighty years since so many - often young - people fought and struggled for the freedom we live in today.

I have the privilege of regularly speaking with people who can vividly remember those days. The celebrations in the streets. The return of family members or friends about whom they had worried so much. But also small, almost tangible memories of how sweet the white bread tasted that was shared. How special it was to see strangers cheering in the streets who had fought for your freedom. Impressive stories from a time when people knew sharply how freedom could suddenly come under pressure. It could even be taken away.

Now, eighty years later, there are almost no people left who can tell us those stories. Fortunately, they have not been lost. They are told in remembrance centers, at schools, or by children and grandchildren of those who were there. And even then they make just as much of an impression.

We tend to think that our freedom has always been there and always will be.

And yet, life in freedom seems to have become taken for granted in recent decades. Thanks to all those people who have gone before us, who fought, struggled, and resisted the enemy, we have been living in freedom for so long that we think it is normal. That no one can take it away from us anymore. While on one hand we must cherish that so many generations in our country have grown up without ever experiencing what war, oppression, and tyranny is, on the other hand, it is one of the greatest vulnerabilities of our society. We tend to think that our freedom has always been there and always will be. Without honoring those who lost their lives so that we can now live our lives in freedom as we wish. Without thanking those who work day and night for that same freedom, so that we do not have to lose sleep over it. Without standing up against those who want to undermine our freedom.

The enormous value of freedom belongs to us, it should be in our DNA. The awareness of that value should bind us nationally so strongly that no one can break it.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Besides the taken-for-grantedness with which our freedom is assumed, we even see that there are people who want to cloud the commemoration of World War II by making their contemporary political point. The National Commemoration was originally intended to reflect on the victims of World War II. That moment of reflection should not fade by bringing in other conflicts or current themes. Not because these would be less important, absolutely not. There is a lot of suffering in the world, suffering that affects us all. And it certainly deserves a place, on whatever day of the year one wishes. But not during the commemoration on May 4th. Precisely the unique, all-encompassing impact of World War II on our freedom, rule of law, and democracy deserves this exclusive commemoration. Which, by the way, is not only about the persecution of the Jews, as many advocates of clouding the May 4th commemoration seem to think. Know your history. Look beyond your fixation on Jews. The Nazis made so many victims, from indeed the genocide of the Jews to the murder of political opponents, resistance fighters, Roma, Sinti, LGBTQ+ people, and so many more. It has been decided to expand the commemoration to include remembering Dutch people who have died for our freedom since then. But as far as I am concerned, that is where it should stop. It should never distract us from what this is fundamentally about.

We commemorate to remain aware of what was at stake back then.

We commemorate to remain aware of what was at stake back then. And what is at stake, if we do not remain vigilant. If we commemorate everything, we ultimately commemorate nothing. Then we have thrown away an extremely valuable and important part of our shared history. We must never accept this. And let us not politicize it.

I hope that today we find the dignity to pause for all the heroes who have given us the freedom to engage in open discussion, to question each other, and ultimately to make our own choices. This freedom comes with a heavy responsibility. Do justice to those who have given their lives for this.