Speech by the Lord Mayor at the wreath-laying ceremony

Dear Mr President of the State Parliament,
Honourable Members of the Saxon State Parliament,
Honourable members of the Chemnitz City Council,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear people of Chemnitz,
Dear pupils,

Every year on 5 March - Chemnitz Peace Day - we stand here at the cemetery - a place of silence, mourning and remembrance. On 5 March, we commemorate the worst night in the history of our city. A night that is deeply engraved in the memory of Chemnitz. It began with the wailing of the sirens, which was already a stressful habit for many people at the time. But on that Monday evening, hardly anyone expected what was to follow. British and American bombers took aim at Chemnitz. Air mines, incendiary and high-explosive bombs turned our city into a sea of flames in just thirty minutes. Houses collapsed, the tarmac glowed, people ran desperately through the streets, surrounded by fire, smoke and death.

[Salutation],

I would like to share a perspective with you today that is very close to my heart. My son is 20 years old. He graduated from high school last year and, in his final year, he dealt with 5 March 1945 and wrote his own text about it. A text full of questions, worries and thoughts.

He writes in it, for example:
My generation is not familiar with war, suffering and destruction. We've never experienced anything like it and we can't even imagine it. Even my parents and grandparents were born after the end of the war. We know nothing but peace. But does that mean that peace is a given?

And in another place:
Today there is war again in Europe. Not so far away from us. Ten hours away by car. Cities are being destroyed, thousands of people are dying and people are fleeing. Ukrainian pupils are also studying at our school.

Do we know their fate? Does it move us or does it leave us cold? Do we realise how fragile peace can be and how close war is?

These thoughts from a young person make it clear: remembering does not just mean looking back. Remembering also means taking responsibility for the present and the future.

We, the people alive today, are not personally responsible for the crimes of National Socialism and the war of extermination started by Germany. But we are responsible for ensuring that this history is not forgotten. And that it is not repeated. We have a responsibility to name the causes: Contempt for humanity, racism, anti-Semitism, exalting ourselves above others, nationalism and the will to violence.

And we have a responsibility to ensure that the memory of the German victims of the Second World War is not misused - not relativised, not instrumentalised, not played off against others.

Unfortunately, more and more young people now know about war not just from books or stories, but from their own painful experiences. 81 years after the destruction of Chemnitz, bombed cities, killed civilians, flight and suffering are once again part of their lives. Since last weekend, the war in the Middle East has been intensifying every day. Once again, people are having to flee their homes in fear of their lives.

Here in Chemnitz, too, young people who have fled from war are living and learning. Their stories make it clear: peace is not a state that - once achieved - remains forever. Peace is an ongoing process that is threatened and vulnerable - and it needs our daily commitment.

We are experiencing a world in which fear and insecurity are growing and at the same time there is increased discussion about armament, compulsory military service and security. Many young people - and certainly their parents - are concerned about this. This is also part of the truth of our time.

This is precisely why the Chemnitz Peace Day is more than just a day of remembrance. It is a mission.

Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is an attitude. It begins in everyday life: in the way we talk to each other, how we resolve conflicts, how we deal with differences. Peace needs people who speak out when hatred and violence become acceptable. People who take responsibility.

Each and every one of us can do something for peace - on a large and small scale.

Today, on 5 March, a clear signal must go out from Chemnitz. A signal of remembrance. A signal of responsibility. And a signal of hope.

A signal that peace can never be taken for granted - but is something that we must value, protect and defend time and again.

We owe this to the dead of 5 March. But also to the living and future generations.

Thank you very much.