On Holocaust Remembrance Day, tens of thousands of people protest against right-wing extremism. German professional football is also there and reminds us of the crimes of National Socialism.
Democracy despisers on the rise, conspirators who want to deport millions of Germans – there are enough reasons to demonstrate against right-wing extremists. Now another one has been added: the day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism. And whether in the football stadiums or on the streets: thousands upon thousands have once again protested against right-wing activities.
Thousands upon thousands again on the right on the street
- According to the organizers’ initial estimates, there were at least 30,000 people in Düsseldorf – the police initially did not want to confirm the number, but spoke of a very strong crowd. The motto of the demo was “Against the AfD – we are not silent. We don’t look away. We act!” The protesters included people of all ages, including many families with children. A 69-year-old, who, in his own words, took part in a demonstration for the first time in decades, said: “If we don’t show our colors now, we’ll go in a direction from which we can’t get out.”
- Around 25,000 demonstrators gathered in Osnabrück, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) was also at the rally. He said the AfD wanted system change. “That means nothing other than that they want to go back to the dark times of racial madness, discrimination, inequality and injustice.” Pistorius drew a comparison with the Weimar Republic, which did not collapse because of its enemies but because of the weakness of its friends. “Today we know better; history must not repeat itself.”
- In Kiel, the organizers counted more than 15,000 participants in a demonstration against right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism, and the police spoke to around 12,000 people. “Our democracy is more stable than the democracy of 100 years ago, but let’s not be too sure,” said Mayor Ulf Kampf (SPD).
- According to initial information, the police counted 4,000 demonstrators in Singen, and around 2,000 people in Sigmaringen. In Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate, the police spoke of around 1,500 people at an anti-right-wing demonstration.
Already on Friday, thousands of people took to the streets in several cities. There were protests in Frankfurt am Main, Saarbrücken, Herne and Gütersloh. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, more than 900,000 people took part in anti-right-wing demonstrations last weekend.
“Never again is now!”
Professional football is also taking a stand against anti-Semitism. At games in the stadiums, on the training ground and at other events, clubs and fans commemorated the crimes of the Nazi era on the anniversary of the liberation of the former German concentration camp Auschwitz. In view of the terrorist attack by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7th and the increasing protests against the right-wing in Germany, this time the actions are taking place under the motto “Never again is now!” instead of.
“Remembrance Day in German football is now an integral part of our game calendar and sends a clear, strong signal every year,” said Managing Director Steffen Merkel of the German Football League.
“Our democracy is man-made”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) welcomed the numerous demonstrations against right-wing extremism in the last few days and weeks. “Our country is currently on its feet. Millions of citizens are taking to the streets,” he said in his weekly video “Chancellor Compact”. It is the solidarity of the democrats that makes democracy strong. “Our democracy is not God-given. It is man-made. It is strong when we support it. And it needs us when it is attacked.”
On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the survivors of the German Auschwitz extermination camp. The Nazis murdered more than a million people there, mostly Jews. The date has been celebrated as Holocaust Remembrance Day in Germany since 1996, and the United Nations proclaimed the date a day of remembrance in 2005.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
