Steinmeier interrupted several times in his speech

After Chancellor Scholz, now Steinmeier: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupted the Federal President’s speech at the Leipzig Book Fair several times. Steinmeier made an appeal to society.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s speech at the Leipzig Book Fair was interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The seven activists called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and accused Israel of genocide. In addition, German arms deliveries were loudly criticized.

Steinmeier addressed the interruptions several times. “You left your message, we don’t agree, but we heard you,” said Steinmeier. The protesters were led out of the Old Stock Exchange by security guards.

“This is a serious topic that we discuss in this country not only during the book fair.” There are different perspectives, but: “There are no simple perspectives on this topic. And it cannot be done on the sidelines and with signature lists.” Steinmeier said he very much hopes “that the talks about the release of the hostages, which are now in full swing, will be successful” and lead to a ceasefire.

Warning of isolation

In his subsequent undisturbed speech, Steinmeier called on people in Germany to be willing to talk to each other and warned against isolation and sticking to their own positions. In a society as diverse as Germany’s, there will always be different experiences, different resonance spaces, depending on where you live and grew up, said Steinmeier.

“There’s only one thing that shouldn’t happen: that these different worlds of experience become isolated retreats around which walls are built.” Our society needs “curiosity instead of self-reflection, openness instead of withdrawal, trust instead of mistrust, suggestions instead of accusations,” said the Federal President. Political strength only has community and not “if we see ourselves primarily as victims of differences.”

Mastering crises

What is needed is energy for the major challenges that lie ahead, trust in ourselves and a common narrative of our democracy. “We are a strong country that has mastered crises in the past. We know that. Let us trust ourselves that we will continue to do so in the future.”

If Germans looked back this year on 75 years of the Basic Law and 35 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall, they could be proud of a lot. “Many things have been successful in our democracy. We still can’t just sit back and relax in this double anniversary year,” emphasized Steinmeier. Because our democracy is threatened from outside and inside more than before.

Celebrate a double anniversary

Steinmeier said he was concerned that many East Germans in particular had the feeling that 75 years of the Basic Law was not their anniversary. He would like to celebrate the double anniversary of the Basic Law and the fall of the Berlin Wall together.

The Federal President paid tribute to the new generation of East German writers who were still children or not yet born at the time the Berlin Wall fell. He named Anne Rabe, Manja Präkels, Lukas Rietzschel and Matthias Jügler as examples.

“Here from the east of our country there is a clearly audible voice. A voice that is diverse and in itself polyphonic. A voice that tells new and different stories,” said Steinmeier. “And this voice is an enrichment for all of us.”