Speech by the Lord Mayor at the main event
Dear Mr Magirius
Dear members of the German Bundestag and the Saxon State Parliament, dear members of the Chemnitz City Council,
Dear members of the AG Friedenstag,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear people of Chemnitz,
For 25 years, 5 March has been more than just a day of remembrance in Chemnitz.
It is our Peace Day.
When it was launched in 2002, we lived in a time when many believed that major wars between states were a thing of the past. After the end of the Cold War, there was talk of a peace dividend. People hoped for a world order in which conflicts would be resolved diplomatically.
But even then there were wars - in Afghanistan, in Africa, in the Middle East. There were more than twenty major armed conflicts around the world.
Today, 25 years later, we have to realise: The world has not become more peaceful. On the contrary.
Since 2022, there has been another war in Europe with the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The war in the Middle East has been escalating since 2023 and has unfortunately been coming to a head every day since last weekend. In Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Syria - in many regions of the world, violence and destruction are dominating people's everyday lives. New geopolitical tensions are emerging and old conflicts are resurfacing. They are not just a cause for concern. Above all, they are a reason for vigilance.
These developments are not without consequences for us. The reform of the Bundeswehr, debates about compulsory military service, rising defence spending - these are all signs of a time in which security is being rethought.
A look around the world shows us that peace cannot be taken for granted and that peace is fragile.
This is precisely why this year's motto of our Chemnitz Peace Day is so apt: "Remain peaceable."
Peaceable - that doesn't mean naivety. It means attitude. It means standing up for tolerance, democracy, dialogue and humanity. It means clearly and unequivocally opposing all forms of hatred, racism and violence.
[Salutation],
So what do we learn from 5 March 1945? We learn where dehumanisation, fanaticism and the pursuit of power can lead. We learn that war never only affects "the others". And we learn that history is a process - which has an impact on our present.
Over the past 25 years, the Chemnitz Peace Day has managed to ensure that remembrance of the night of the bombing is not limited to commemorating the victims. It combines remembrance with commitment - for the present and the future. It stands for fundamental values such as tolerance, democracy, peacefulness and interculturality. With the Chemnitz Peace Prize, it sets an example beyond the city. Chemnitz takes a stand with the Peace Day.
The commemoration of the bomb victims is supported by many citizens - silently and personally, but also publicly and visibly.
We are all sending a clear signal together today:
Chemnitz stands for peace.
Chemnitz stands for humanity.
Chemnitz stands against right-wing violence, against racism and against all forms of extremism.
"Remaining peaceable" also means passing on the memory. Staying in dialogue. In the families. In the schools. In the clubs. In our urban society. So that our children and grandchildren can live in a world in which conflicts are not resolved with bombs, but with words. Peacefully.
It is up to us what we make of our history.
Let us work together to ensure that 5 March is not just a day of mourning, but a day of encouragement. A day on which we recommit ourselves again and again:
Never again war.
Never again National Socialism.
Commit yourselves to ensuring that peace remains.
Thank you for being here today.
And I thank all those who have made this day of peace possible for a quarter of a century.