At that time, “the division of the Cold War world was literally cemented,” he said yesterday at a memorial event in Berlin. August 13, 60 years ago, was a day “that separated children from parents, grandchildren from grandparents, and which painfully interfered with the lives of innumerable individuals,” Steinmeier continued. Because the wall “went through the middle of a living city, arbitrarily dividing squares and railroad lines, rivers and cemeteries, everyone could see how violent and inhuman this division was”. The memory should not stop at looking back. “It is a permanent challenge for us.” Freedom and democracy are never given by nature. They have to be fought for, but also protected and defended. “Remember everyone when a new Bundestag is elected soon,” he warned.
