Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine - NYC must remove the names of two notorious Nazi sympathizers from one of our most cherished public monuments...

 

As we observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day (1/27), people around the world are taking time to honor the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the countless others who suffered under the jackboot of Nazism. Today we reflect upon and renew our commitment to continuing the neverending work of preventing future genocides, antisemitism, and hate.  To help continue this vital work, I joined together with members of the City Council’s Jewish Caucus, descendants of Holocaust survivors, and advocates in a renewed call to remove the names of known Nazi collaborators from plaques embedded in the sidewalks in the “Canyon of Heroes” in lower Manhattan. The two collaborators - Henri Philippe Pétain and Pierre Laval - headed the infamous Nazi-controlled Vichy Government in France and, after the war, were convicted of treason for betraying France and its Jewish citizens – 75,000 of who they deported to concentration camps. Watch coverage of BP Levine's call to remove the names of Nazi collaborators from the “Canyon of Heroes” HERE. Both were hosted for ticker-tape parades in 1931, before their association with the Nazi Party and were given plagues in 2004 to note that historical fact.  Removing these plaques is not a whitewashing of history. Rather, it is a refusal to continue to honor two people who made the choice to embody the worst of humanity. Their names do not need to remain on Broadway alongside true heroes like Nelson Mandela and Covid-19 pandemic essential workers.  In a city home to more than one million Jews – many of whom (?) ancestors fled countries ruled by Nazi collaborators – it is painful and shameful for these plaques to exist. France itself has renamed streets that once honored these villains. The time has long passed for our city to remove these names of infamy from our rolls of honor. Let us never forget, Mark It is getting close! Please join us at my first State of the Borough this upcoming Tuesday at 6 pm at The City College of New York (CCNY). We'll look back at the past year and come together as Manhattanites to share in our vision for the next year with our friends and neighbors! I will also be making a big announcement on my plans for Manhattan! So you don't want to miss it. Please RSVP at the link below and I hope to see you there on Tuesday. RSVP here for Tuesday's State of the Borough