The large demonstration in Leipzig on October 9, 1989 was a milestone in the peaceful revolution in the GDR. At the commemoration, the Chancellor addresses a controversial topic.
When commemorating the peaceful revolution in the GDR 35 years ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz drew a parallel with Ukraine and once again called for support for Kiev. “The legacy of the peaceful revolution also requires us to stand up for the freedom of Ukrainians, for their right to democracy and for their right to peace,” said the SPD politician at a ceremony in Leipzig.
It commemorated the important large-scale demonstration on October 9, 1989, when at least 70,000 people took to the streets in Leipzig with shouts like “We are the people.” A month later the Berlin Wall fell. Scholz praised the courage of the GDR opposition in detail and credited the people with having changed the world. At the same time he spoke of the European dimension.
The Ukrainian citizens had the same goals in their protests on the Maidan in Kiev in 2014 as the citizens of the GDR in 1989, said the Chancellor. “It was about taking your own fate into your hands, it was about ending heteronomy.” Today, “Russia wants to take this freedom away from Ukraine using the most brutal force.”
“Ukraine on the front line for freedom”
Scholz said he supported everyone who stood up for peace, like the demonstrators 35 years ago. “But the bitter truth remains: this peace will only come when Russia is ready for it,” he added. “Today it is Ukraine that is at the forefront defending freedom in Europe. We will, we must, support them until a just peace finally prevails.” But the goal of securing peace through cooperation will not be given up. Germany will continue to throw its political and diplomatic weight into the balance.
Scholz was thus addressing one of the topics on which opinions often differ in West and East Germany. According to surveys, support for aid for Ukraine is lower in eastern Germany than in the western federal states. At the same time, there is more fear in East Germany of being drawn into the war.
Leipzig Light Festival
Source: Stern
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