Normandy villagers oppose D-Day visit by Trump’s Defence Secretary
Residents have called for the cancellation of Pete Hegseth’s visit from the US
Pete Hegseth is set to attend D-Day commemorations in Calvados on June 6
Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock
Members of a local organisation in Langrune-sur-Mer (Calvados) are calling for the cancellation of a scheduled D-Day commemoration visit from the US Secretary of Defence.
Pete Hegseth is due to represent the US President Donald Trump during a visit to the village this Saturday (June 6) to mark the 82nd anniversary of the Normandy landings. French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, and some 400 other guests are also set to attend the event.
“This individual promotes values that go against democracy, human rights and peace. This is demonstrated by his numerous anti-European remarks…” stated the Langrune en Commun association in a press release titled Pour l’honneur (For honour) shared on June 2.
“The honour of Langrune and that of France should require the cancellation of this individual’s visit,” added the group, which stood as an independent list in the most recent local elections, advocating environmental and socialist principles.
The press release also alludes to Mr Hegseth’s “American supremacist statements,” linking to relevant articles in which he has been quoted, and his “far-right tattoos” including a Jerusalem cross on his chest and the Latin phrase Deus vult (God wills it), linked to the cry of the Crusaders, on his arm.
“Our statement does not seek to undermine the commemorations or the role of the Allies in the Liberation. We simply wish to point out that these ceremonies embody the values of peace, democracy and respect for human rights, and that it is legitimate to question the situation when the representative of the US holds or supports positions that we believe to be at odds with these values,” a spokesperson from Langrune en Commun told The Connexion.
In response to the group’s statement, the village’s deputy mayor François-Xavier Palao suggested that “perhaps we should set political considerations aside,” reported a regional branch of FranceInfo.
“It is not that we particularly like the man, but this is first and foremost a commemoration for the veterans,” he added.
When asked about their reaction to this stance, Langrune en Commun told The Connexion: “We understand his [Mr Palao] desire to preserve the unifying nature of these ceremonies. However, we believe that the commemorations cannot be entirely separated from the values they celebrate.”
Heightened security in place
Mr Hegseth, former soldier, Fox News presenter, and author of American Crusade, was born on June 6, 1980, and so will also coincidentally be celebrating his birthday this Saturday.
He has styled himself as ‘Secretary of War’ since taking office and backed President Trump’s ongoing war with Iran, and already visited the Normandy American cemetery for D-Day commemorations in Colleville-sur-Mer in 2025, however residents of Langrune-sur-Mer have made clear he is not welcome this year.
For this reason, locals are not being allowed to attend the ceremony, with heightened security measures being put in place.
“30 years ago, we would never have had safety standards of this calibre; we deplore it, we are sorry about it, but we have to accept it,” the village’s mayor told FranceInfo.
Two streets will be closed to traffic from June 5 and parking is prohibited on several more, while on June 6 no vehicles will be permitted to travel anywhere within the commune from midday until roads are reopened by police.
