VE day 80th anniversary

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Thousands of people lined the roads around London's Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace on Monday as British and allied troops paraded past at the start of four days of pageantry to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

After Big Ben tolled at the stroke of noon, actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech that Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8, 1945. Britain started its commemorations of V-E Day three days early, because Monday is a public holiday in the U.K.

The Cenotaph, the nation’s war memorial, was covered with Union Jack flags. It was the first time that the memorial had been draped in the flags since it was unveiled by King George V in 1920, two years after the end of World War I.

About 1,300 members of the British armed forces were joined by troops from the United Kingdom’s NATO allies and Ukraine — a nod to the present war in Europe. The procession started in Parliament Square and swept past Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III took the salute.

Elsewhere, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made an impassioned plea for European and transatlantic unity Monday in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation.

“The experience gained 80 years ago tells us that only when (we) stand together can we overcome,” Tusk said.

He added that “in the face of the threat posed by (President Vladimir) Putin’s Russia we need to deepen our European and transatlantic life, and we need genuine solidarity.”

Tusk spoke at a Dutch Liberation Day ceremony where WWII veterans were given a standing ovation by crowds who lined streets to watch a military parade as modern and wartime aircraft flew overhead. Polish troops were among Allied forces who helped liberate the Netherlands.

Festivities in Wageningen centered on a square outside the Hotel de Wereld, where German top brass signed papers on May 5, 1945, that formally ended the brutal five-year occupation as the war drew to a close across Europe.

A small group of veterans, their chests decorated with medals and legs covered in blankets, sat on the front row watching the ceremony. More veterans took part in the parade, some saluting, others blowing kisses to the crowds. Some held tulips and other flowers.

Germany finally surrendered on May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day. Liberation Day in the Netherlands is celebrated on May 5, a day after the country observes two minutes of silence to honor its war dead.

Like Tusk, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans used the occasion to call for renewed efforts to nurture peace.

“War and aggression are back in Europe and it is up to us to protect peace,” he said.

Tusk appealed for unity at a time of global insecurity.

“Genuine solidarity between people and nations that will prevent the evil from shaping our present and future,” he said. “The time of Europe’s carefree comfort, joyous unconcern is over. Today is the time of European mobilization around our fundamental values and our security.”