'44 police uprising in Paris celebrated

PARIS (AP) — France honored nearly 2,000 Paris police officers Thursday who led a bloody World War II uprising against their Nazi occupiers days before Allied troops liberated the city.

Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin joined Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe to lay wreaths at the police headquarters that the officers stormed and seized in the morning of Aug. 19, 1944.

"Their courage and determination will remain forever as a symbol of rejection of occupation, dictatorship and barbarity," de Villepin told hundreds of attendees at the ceremony. He decorated some police officers with Legion of Honor medals.

Of about 2,000 officers who participated, a total of 167 died during the siege of the headquarters, which was under the control of Nazi collaborators at the time.

The French flag was hoisted for the first time in months, and the Marseillaise — the national anthem — resonated in the courtyard. The siege marked one of the first steps toward the liberation of all of Paris by the city's residents and Allied forces six days later.

"We will not forget our 167 friends who died in combat," de Villepin said. "They are the soul of the Prefecture of Police. They are also the memory of our country."

Thursday's ceremony kicked off a series of events to remember the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Paris, including concerts, films and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.