Jean-Michel Nicolier and his mother granted Croatian citizenship
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Jean-Michel Nicolier (Photo: Fair Use)
France-born Croatian defender Jean-Michel Nicolier has been posthumously granted Croatian citizenship as a gesture of gratitude for his sacrifice during the Homeland War, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced on social media.
“Today, as an expression of thanks, we have posthumously awarded Croatian citizenship to Vukovar hero Jean-Michel Nicolier, killed at Ovčara, as well as to his mother Lyliane Fournier, who lives in Croatia. His sacrifice and her limitless love for Croatia are permanently inscribed in our shared memory and identity,” Plenković stated.
Nicolier became a symbol of international solidarity during the Croatian War of Independence. Moved by images of the conflict broadcast on French television, he left his home in July 1991 to join the Croatian Defence Forces.
“I want to help these people, they need me,” he told his mother before departing. “I have to go, but I’ll be back. You know I’m wild grass that never goes away.”
Captured during the fall of Vukovar, Nicolier was killed at Ovčara. His remains were identified and found after 34 years, bringing long-awaited closure to his family and to many in Croatia who regarded him as a symbol of courage and solidarity.
He was laid to rest on 6 November at the Memorial Cemetery of Homeland War Victims in Vukovar, where several thousand people gathered to pay their respects.
(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)
(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)
(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)
(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)
