President von der Leyen at the commemoration of the 77th anniversary of the massacre in Campo di Fossoli

On Sunday, 11 July, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took part in the commemoration ceremony of the 77th anniversary of the massacre in Campo di Fossoli in Carpi, Italy. In her speech, the President honoured the memory of the victims of the massacre and of all those who fought for freedom and democracy, making the peaceful and democratic Europe we live in today possible. She paid tribute to those she called “some of [Europe’s] most unknown founding fathers” by whose values we still live today. President von der Leyen underlined how important it is to defend these values and freedoms still today, whenever they are threatened in Europe – when Jews do not feel safe, free media and universities are under attack, or when people of colour, LGBTIQ people or anyone else is discriminated against. She said: “We must make those values live in the present days. We must make human dignity, freedom, democracy and equality true for all people in Europe, and beyond. This is Europe’s promise.” The speech is available online, and you can watch it here.