At the initiative of the Paris City Council, a promenade named after Aristides de Sousa Mendes was inaugurated on the borders of the 8th and 17th districts of Paris.
In the presence of the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, elected officials of Paris, the Secretary of State for Internationalisation of the Portuguese Republic Bernardo Ivo Cruz, and the Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas, a moving tribute was paid to the Portuguese Righteous Among the Nations.
The President of Crif Yonathan Arfi was present at the inauguration, accompanied by the President of Crif Bordeaux Aquitaine Albert Massiah.
Aristides de Sousa Mendes is one of the diplomats recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.
From 1939, while he was Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, he was confronted with thousands of requests for visas for Portugal, a neutral country.
Aristides de Souda Mendes refused to follow the directives of his government, which forbade the entry of Jews, stateless persons, and political opponents into the country.
In 1940, he saved thousands of people from deportation by providing them with visas to leave France. It is estimated that he saved 30,000 people, including 10,000 Jews.
(European Jewish Congress)
