Commemoration
Remembrance Day: Princess Victoria emphasizes international law
Swedish Crown Princess Victoria speaks at the central commemoration event for Remembrance Day in the German Bundestag. photo
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
Millions of deaths, violence and suffering – Remembrance Day reminds us of dark chapters in German history. But that’s not all: prominent speakers focused their attention on the present.
“It is a war that reminds us of the darkest chapters of European history,” Victoria said of the Ukraine war. Added to this are the developments following the “terrible attacks” by Hamas on Israeli civilians. “We see horrific images from Gaza with great human suffering.” Of course, Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law. “The protection of all civilians in both Israel and Gaza must be guaranteed and international humanitarian law must be respected, at all times under all circumstances.”
The Crown Princess warned never to forget the lessons of the horrors of war and tyranny. “It is a source of hope that the governments and peoples of democratic Europe stick together in difficult times. The German experience shows that it is possible to overcome even the darkest past.”
Every year on Remembrance Day, the victims of war and tyranny are remembered. Special topics for this year’s Remembrance Day are 70 years of youth work by the German War Graves Commission, German-Swedish history and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Schneiderhan: Standing stunned by the terror of Hamas
The President of the German War Graves Commission, the former Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, reminded the Bundestag that Lviv in western Ukraine is just 900 kilometers from Germany. “That’s the distance from Flensburg to Freiburg.” The war there is being waged “by the Russian side with insane brutality, including against the Ukrainian civilian population.”
One is stunned by Hamas’ terror against the citizens of Israel and the suffering that has been caused in this region, said Schneiderhan. “And we are also stunned by the re-emergence of anti-Semitism in our society and in our country.”
Schneiderhahn remembered the deaths, the suffering and the consequences of the Second World War triggered by Germany. Nevertheless, peace and prosperity were possible afterwards. “The basis for this was laid by European integration and the willingness of our neighbors to reconcile. You cannot demand reconciliation. You can only gratefully accept the offer.”
Wreath laying in Berlin
That morning, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Berlin state politicians laid wreaths at the Jewish cemetery in the Weißensee district. “We are celebrating this year’s Day of Remembrance in bitter times,” said former Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse in his commemorative speech. “Not only are we tormented by Putin-Russia’s never-ending war of aggression against Ukraine, we are also deeply shocked by Hamas’ murderous acts in Israel.”
“By remembering Jewish soldiers here and now, we do so in the knowledge that what is currently happening in the Middle East has to do with German history,” said Thierse. “By commemorating the Jewish martyrs in a German and European war, we also express our sympathy for the victims of the Jewish homeland of Israel, which is fighting for its existence.”