Status: 03.10.2021 2:05 p.m.
On the Day of German Unity, Chancellor Merkel called on citizens to defend democracy. At the ceremony in Halle an der Saale, Federal Council President Haseloff reminded that the unity was not yet complete.
The central celebrations for the Day of German Unity have started in Halle an der Saale. Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled that reunification had brought far more changes to the lives of people in eastern Germany than in the west. “Depressing experiences” of them should not be ignored or forgotten. The German unification is “not a completed process”.
Merkel recalled the courageous efforts of many people in the GDR in the peaceful revolution of 1989/1990. One should never forget that it could have turned out differently.
Merkel: Democracy is under attack
31 years after German unification on October 3, 1990, she called for continued commitment to democracy. “Democracy is not just there. We have to work for them again and again, every day,” said the CDU politician at the ceremony. Sometimes, she feared, democratic achievements were being handled a little too lightly.
During this time, attacks on goods as valuable as freedom of the press can be seen. A public can be experienced in which lies and disinformation are used to stir up resentment and hatred. “Democracy is being attacked,” said Merkel. Therefore, nothing less than social cohesion is under scrutiny.
The Chancellor also referred to attacks on people who campaigned for the common good such as firefighters and local politicians. “The verbal brutality and radicalization that can be experienced there must not only be answered by those who fall victim to it, but must be rejected by everyone.” Because all too quickly verbal attacks resulted in violence.
Celebrations for the Day of German Unity in Halle an der Saale
Sven Knobloch, MDR, daily news 1:00 p.m., October 3rd, 2021
Haseloff: “Unity not yet completed”
Federal Council President Reiner Haseloff thanked Merkel, who had brought in her experience as an East German over the past 16 years.
Haseloff promoted common ideas and projects to bring East and West together. “Mentally and structurally, the unity is not yet complete,” said the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt at the central ceremony. “There are still some big political differences between East and West,” said the CDU politician. “That was recently shown in the behavior at the polls in the Bundestag election.” A strong cohesion could also result from common goals. “Under no circumstances should we allow ourselves to be played off against each other in these difficult times,” said Haseloff.
“A stroke of luck in German history”
Haseloff recalled the ruptures that many former citizens of the GDR had to cope with after unification, especially the loss of jobs. At the same time he noted that the success story of the peaceful revolution in the GDR was not being appreciated enough. It is quite suitable for the “founding myth of the united Germany”. He added: “I think we all agree: October 3rd, 1990 is a stroke of luck in German history.”
The big citizens’ festival on the Day of German Unity is canceled due to the corona pandemic. Instead, there will be a three-week exhibition in downtown Halle.