President Emmanuel Macron presided over the ceremonies for the 107th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, emphasizing homage to the 'malgré-nous,' Alsatians and Mosellans forcibly enrolled in the German army during World War II. A plaque was unveiled at the Hôtel des Invalides in their memory, while the centenary of the Bleuet de France was marked by a message from Jean-Jacques Goldman. The commemorations continued to the Arc de Triomphe with the rekindling of the flame of the Unknown Soldier.
The 11 November commemorations began at the Hôtel national des Invalides, where Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin, and Delegate Minister Alice Rufo, unveiled a plaque in memory of the 'malgré-nous.' These approximately 130,000 Alsatians and Mosellans, considered German after the 1940 annexation, were forcibly integrated into the German army. Around 40,000 never returned: 30,000 perished in combat or captivity, and 10,000 to 12,000 are listed as missing. Six 'malgré-nous' were present and saluted by the president.
Macron emphasized the need to recognize this tragedy. 'It is now engraved in the stone of this enclosure. We must continue to transmit it,' he declared after a last post and a minute of silence. A wreath was laid in homage. This gesture follows a previous tribute during the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Strasbourg in November 2024, where Macron stated that 'the tragedy of the 'malgré-nous' must be named, recognized, and taught.'
The procession then moved to the statue of Georges Clemenceau, the 'Father of Victory,' where a wreath was laid, followed by a minute of silence. On the Champs-Élysées, Macron reviewed the troops to the sound of La Marseillaise, before rekindling the flame of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
On the centenary of the Bleuet de France, an association supporting war wounded, Nation's orphans, and terrorism victims, an urn containing soil from 16 First World War sites was placed on the Unknown Soldier's tomb. Jean-Jacques Goldman, the association's ambassador, published a handwritten letter expressing his gratitude: 'It seemed important to me to show our recognition to our armies, their wounded, and more generally to all security forces that protect us daily. We may have tended to forget it, but current events remind us dramatically every day.' He also composed the song 'On sera là,' whose clip was unveiled the day before, in homage to war wounded.
The ceremonies brought together personalities such as Gérard Larcher, Anne Hidalgo, and Yaël Braun-Pivet.
