Speech

for the wreath-laying ceremony and commemoration of 9 November 2017

There is this one day in recent German history that symbolises many things: a turning point, revolution, hope, freedom.
But above all, this day is a symbol of mourning, violence, discrimination, expulsion and shame.
The 9th of November. A day of destiny. On no other day are joy and sorrow, love and hate so close together.

1918: Germany embarks on the 1st Weimar Republic.

1989: The peaceful citizens of the GDR create a revolution that brings down a wall and establishes German reunification.
Finding the right words for this is not easy, but it is possible. Finding the right words for the night of the pogroms and everything that followed is infinitely difficult.

1938: The synagogues in Germany burn on 9 November. The beautiful Chemnitz synagogue burns in the hatred of the National Socialists. Here on this spot, in the centre of Chemnitz. Afterwards, shop windows, e.g. in the Schocken and Tietz, were smashed, Jews arrested and murdered. And the people of Chemnitz looked on in horror, bewilderment, fear or enthusiasm.

There was no reason to persecute the Jewish citizens, to treat them as lepers. For many decades, the Jews had been integrated, active, respected citizens of Chemnitz. They helped, donated, helped shape the city. They donated, were industrious, often successful, some wealthy.
And suddenly, as the ideology of National Socialism dictated, fellow citizens became enemies of the people. The hatred of Jews came gradually, first quietly, then loudly.
First with words, then with bestial deeds: In just a few years, many Germans, some of whom had greeted the Weimar Republic jubilantly, had become self-proclaimed master race.
had become self-appointed master race. And they suddenly turned the Jews into sub-humans. Previously they had been their neighbours, doctors, shop assistants. Where did this hatred, this contempt, this arrogance, this inhumanity come from?

It was a long time ago. Almost 80 years.
In the end, the so-called 1000-year empire of these German master race lasted 12 years. German megalomania cost the lives of 60 million people, including 6 million Jews. We all know individual fates, such as that of Anne Frank. One fate and 6 million more. Unbelievable. The thriving Jewish community of Chemnitz: destroyed, murdered, almost wiped out.

That was a long time ago. Almost 80 years.
Unimaginable what people did to people.

First with words, then with deeds. Books burned. Synagogues burned. Jews had to wear the star. Finally, people were gassed and burned.
That must never happen again!

And that depends on us! We all see and feel the changes in the democracies of Europe. We see the escalations in the world. We are experiencing how fear is driving politics and societies, dividing people into us and them.

Here in Saxony, we are also experiencing the irritation, the helplessness, the superficiality in state politics.

I would like to quote Mrs Goldenbogen, Chairwoman of the Saxony State Association of the Jewish Community:
"We fear that the consensus among democrats that politics must not be based on the intellectual legacy of the Nazi past is being weakened. [...] If it is now rightly said that the causes must be investigated and people's concerns taken seriously, then this must not happen by right-wing extremism suddenly being considered tolerable." End of quote

One of the reasons why there was this landslide in the results of the federal election in Saxony is the loss of trust in the institutions of the state among citizens:
Representatives of the people, the judiciary, the police, the media have lost respect and credibility.
Incidentally, this is also the aim of the right-wing populists. When respect and trust in the pillars of democracy are undermined, right-wing extremists have room to grow.

Slogans like: "More Germany to the Germans! We're taking our country back" not only have more transmitters, but also more recipients.
Even in parts of the population that have no right-wing populist attitudes.
As a result, we are suddenly seeing a debate about whether a shift to the right is needed in parties and society to counter these slogans.

It was almost 80 years ago that the synagogue burned here. The Weimar Republic was not a stable democracy. The Federal Republic has - rightly - this goal and this claim. It is up to us, the sovereign, the citizen, the voter, to live and prove this in our everyday lives.

We are standing here today on the site of the destroyed Chemnitz synagogue.
Chemnitz residents of all generations: young and old.
Justin Sonder, a contemporary witness, saw the synagogue in ruins, he had to wear the Jewish star, he experienced the unimaginable suffering. The Holocaust is not history. It is a crime against humanity. It is a fact.

To understand this, I am convinced that you have to have seen the unimaginable. I am therefore in favour of every pupil in Saxony, in Chemnitz, visiting a concentration camp memorial, e.g. Buchenwald, as part of their lessons. If the state of Saxony fails to fund it, I am prepared to help finance the costs for Chemnitz pupils through the city.

Anyone who has ever seen a concentration camp with open eyes and an open heart will feel with all their senses where right-wing populism, starting with words, can actually lead. And that is our responsibility! No matter how old we are.

Dear Dr Röcher,
Dear members of the Jewish community in Chemnitz,
I am glad and grateful that you are part of our city, that you exist. May your community continue to thrive, may the synagogue be a safe house for your faith and may Chemnitz be your home.