The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, today commemorated, together with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the contribution of the company ‘The Nine’ to the liberation of Paris from the Nazi yoke, on the day that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the gesture.

The company was part of the 2nd Armored Division of Free France, commanded by General Leclerc, and was composed mostly of Spanish Republicans, under the command of Captain Raymond Dronne. They were the first to enter Paris on August 24, 2024, aboard the semi-tracks ‘Guadalajara’, ‘Madrid’, ‘Guernica’, ‘Brunete’, ‘Jarama’, ‘Ebro’, ‘Teruel’, ‘Belchite’, ‘España cañí’ or ‘Don Quijote’.

“The example of ‘The Nine’ must make our youth reflect on that precious value that is democracy, a value that must be exercised and defended every day, especially in these times in which we are witnessing the resurgence of neo-fascism and populism,” said the minister, who considers these combatants as true “democrats”, who “with their anti-fascist commitment, laid the foundations of the Europe of freedoms that we enjoy today.” “We owe them what we are,” he added during the tribute.

In his speech at the event, Torres stressed that the ‘Garden of La Diez’ of the French capital has been declared a Place of Memory, and that the plaque that will recognize it will be placed shortly. In addition, the minister has given Mayor Anne Hidalgo a Commemorative Coin, coined by the Government of Spain, to pay tribute to the fighters of ‘La Diez’, on this outstanding anniversary.

The minister, who has defined the contribution of the Spanish exile in France as of “incalculable value” has been accompanied by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez.