Wim van de Donk new chair National Committee for 4 and 5 May

As of June 1, Rector Magnificus Wim van de Donk is also chair of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May. He succeeds former Speaker of the House of Representatives Gerdi Verbeet, who has held the gavel since 2016.

The Committee takes care of the organization of the National Commemoration of Remembrance Day on May 4 and the National Liberation Day celebration on May 5. In addition, the Committee is active in educational projects, campaigns, and research. The aim is to keep the memory of the Second World War alive and to commemorate the victims.

Van de Donk is no stranger to the Committee. In 2008, he was invited to deliver the May 5 lecture. On that occasion, he endorsed the usefulness and necessity of the organization. “The liberation was not only a redemption, but also a task: freedom must be learned, developed, defended, and shared, again and again.”

A few years ago he underlined that message once again when he addressed the Committee during the presentation of the fifth anniversary program 75 years of freedom: “Seventy-five years ago the liberation came from outside. Now it seems necessary to commemorate it by taking a good look in our own mirror. It seems that the task of preserving our free and democratic society for future generations has become an urgent one for ourselves.”

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