RASC News Agency: In a deeply symbolic and resonant gesture, the City Council of Reims in northern France has officially named a street in its prominent cultural and academic district, Magasins Generaux, after Ahmad Shah Massoud, the National Hero of Afghanistan. The move honors not only Massoud’s legacy of resistance against foreign occupation and extremism, but also sends a powerful message against the ideological repression currently sweeping Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The official unveiling ceremony was attended by French officials, local dignitaries, and members of the Afghanistani diaspora. Dimitri Oudin, Deputy Mayor of Reims, presented the newly installed street sign to Ahmad Massoud, son of the late commander and leader of the current National Resistance Front. In a firm statement, Oudin described the act as “a clear answer to the darkness spread by the Taliban and extremist groups across the region.”
“Ahmad Shah Massoud’s defiance against tyranny has become a symbol that transcends Afghanistan,” Oudin said. “It embodies the universal struggle for liberty, dignity, and resistance against all forms of authoritarianism.” In response, Ahmad Massoud expressed his deep gratitude to the people of France, describing the moment as “a tribute not only to my father, but to the soul of a nation still fighting for its freedom.” He said the gesture “reflects the profound bond between the people of France and the people of Afghanistan, united by shared values of democracy, resistance, and human dignity.” Massoud added that the street naming is “not merely an act of remembrance, but a call to continue the struggle against extremism and injustice, especially in a time when Afghanistani voices are being silenced by a regime rooted in ideological oppression.”
Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by al-Qaeda agents on September 9, 2001, just two days before the September 11 attacks in the United States. His leadership in fighting Soviet occupation, and later the Taliban’s first regime, earned him both domestic reverence and international respect. He was officially recognized as the National Hero of Afghanistan by the former democratic government a title the Taliban regime has since worked to erase from public consciousness. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Ahmad Massoud, his son, has revived the resistance movement, refusing to accept the theocratic and authoritarian order imposed by the group. While international governments have hesitated in their approach to the Taliban, Massoud has consistently called for global solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, particularly those suffering under gender apartheid, censorship, and systemic violence.
This is not the first time France has honored the slain commander. A street near the iconic Champs-Elysees in Paris already bears his name. However, this new dedication in a university-rich, intellectually vibrant city such as Reims sends a fresh and deliberate message: Europe has not forgotten the ideals Massoud stood for and will not recognize the Taliban’s attempts to erase those ideals. At a time when the Taliban continue to dismantle democratic institutions, erase ethnic and cultural diversity, and criminalize education for girls and women, this street sign stands as a beacon of historical truth and international defiance. It affirms that true national heroes are those who resist tyranny not those who impose it through force and fear.
As Afghanistan plunges deeper into socio-political darkness under Taliban rule, the world must continue to honor those who fought and continue to fight for a different future. The people of Afghanistan, Ahmad Massoud said in his closing remarks, “deserve not just memory, but action, solidarity, and unwavering moral support.”
