Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story

In June 1940, when Nazi troops invaded France, an amazing rescue operation sprang into being. One man, on his own, defying the direct orders of his government, chose to grant visas out of Occupied France to an estimated 30,000 refugees including around 10,000 Jews. This remarkable true story has been described by historians as ‘the largest rescue action by a single individual during the Holocaust.’ The man was Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul.

Founded in 2010, the Sousa Mendes Foundation is dedicated to honoring the memory of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and to educating the public about refugees and rescue during the Holocaust; and is engaged in a worldwide search for families who escaped the Holocaust through Portugal.

French with subtitles.