His name is little known in France and was only known in Portugal about forty years ago. However, the consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes Hero, one of the “righteous” who saved thousands of Jews During World War II.
He was honoured by the French and Portuguese press this week on the occasion of the opening on July 18. Museum in his memory In Carrigal do Sal. This magnificent 19th century building has been rebuilt in a similar style after falling into disrepair due to lack of maintenance. It was the private residence of the Consul before his disgrace.
It was indeed the act of defiance and courage of Consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes that brought him, his family and his home to ruin.
The man arrived with his family in France in 1938 to take up his post as Portuguese consul in Bordeaux. War broke out and in 1940 hundreds of thousands of people began to flee the German invasion to the south of France. Thousands more sought to reach Portugal via Spain, where the Franco regime refused to accept them.
If Portugal does not formally oppose the arrival of refugees, The government still wants to control and limit entries. It requires its consular representatives to request prior authorization in Lisbon before granting a visa.
“Righteous among the nations”
Faced with the emergency and the suffering of families, Aristides de Souza Mendes decided to move forward. Issue the largest possible number of visas.mainly for Jewish families.
Among the families who managed to escape were a number of family members, including the mother of current UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric. official speaker – UN Secretary-General Anka Muhlstein, historian and writer, Goncourt Prize for Biography 1996.
The Portuguese government did not appreciate this rebellion by its consul in Bordeaux, and it soon happened. They were punished, excluded from diplomatic work, and deprived of any income. And his pension. He died penniless in 1954. He had 14 children.
Over the next decade, in 1966, Israel recognized him as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations,” but at home his story did not become publicly known until the late 1980s when the Portuguese Republic finally rehabilitated him.
Against hatred and bigotry
The Secretary-General, who is Portuguese, was keen to deliver a video message during the opening of the museum in Carega do Sal.
The opening of the museum comes at a critical time. Today, Our world is dangerous and divided. Number of people forced to leave their homes reaches record high. Hatred and bigotry – including anti-Semitism, anti-Islam, and attacks against Christians and other groups – Common “,” Antonio Guterres declared in this message.
For him, Aristides de Souza Mendes is a An example of courage and compassion Which we must remember in the current context of a society that risks completely forgetting these values.
Five years ago, Aristides de Souza Mendes was one of 36 Righteous Among the Nations diplomats honored at a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters.
UN combats misinformation about the Holocaust
