Against right extremism, Commemoration in Auschwitz, We Remember

Right now: Stand up against hate, stand up for remembrance and solidarity!

Press Release for January 27 – with a commentary by the writer and ASF trustee Saša Stanišić

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Auschwitz stands for the systematic and brutal annihilation of millions of people by the Germans. It is an unprecedented crime against humanity, a failure of compassion and civil courage. Auschwitz symbolizes the abolition of democracy, heartlessness, and the rejection of vulnerable people by many states.

ASF Executive Director Jutta Weduwen says: “Especially in these days, we remember all the victims of Nazi persecution. Their fate teaches us to protect the right to asylum, especially in Germany. The knowledge of Auschwitz reminds us to fight for democracy and human dignity. We vehemently oppose misanthropy and historical revisionism. Thanks to civil society initiatives and within the international community, over the past decades, we have succeeded in strengthening democracy in Germany, critically engaging with our own history of violence, and effectively standing up to right-wing extremism. I am shaken that all of this is now at risk.”

In recent weeks, we have observed another rightward shift and a progressive racist degradation of political discourse, which is being fueled even in the center of society. We are deeply concerned about the recent statements by CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who wants to push for stricter migration policies with the votes of all parties in parliament. Even though the CDU insists it will continue to exclude collaboration with the AfD, accepting AfD votes is another step toward tearing down the firewall against the far right.

We are worried when tragic attacks against innocent people are instrumentalized to broadly incite hatred against Muslims, refugees, and migrants, to take inhumane measures against them, and to deny them protection and participation.

Millions of people are fleeing persecution, wars, and climate disasters worldwide. They put themselves in danger and deserve our protection and to be listened to. Migrants enrich our society with their perspectives, skills, and art.

As does the writer Saša Stanišić, who fled Bosnia with his parents in 1992 and today serves on the ASF board, commenting:

“In Germany, unspeakable things are once again being said, the unbelievable is becoming socially acceptable, the lessons of the past are being ignored, and for problems, not solutions are being offered, but culprits are being sought. And the culprits are once again ‘the others.’ The migrants, the refugees, those who are often at the lowest rung of the financial ladder, those without a voice and thus without power.

[…] We cannot, we must not stand by and watch this. We must not repeat the mistakes of history and leave those who misinterpret it the power to define the present and play us against each other, instead of wanting to shape it together. ‘No step back from fascism’ already seems too late. But ‘no further step’ is still possible.”

For the full commentary, see below.

No Further Step – That’s Still Possible. A Commentary by Saša Stanišić

In politics, there is a disregard for history and, even worse, a disregard for the present.

In politics, there is a disregard for history and, even worse, a disregard for the present.

Not only is it forgotten what we were capable of doing to other people in the past after we dehumanized them, denied them their right to exist, and stripped them of their dignity, but it is also forgotten that our freedom today is based on the victory over devaluation, dehumanization, and killing – over fascism – and that our actions are rooted in the global interconnection of people, markets, and values. It is forgotten that our culture is never singular, but is shaped by countless influences and contributions, forming a multiplicity of actions and omissions, of effects and causes, of representations and creations.

It is forgotten that we, as societies, have always been strongest – and still are – when it is not about “us” against “them,” but about pulling together as many; only then can global and world-threatening problems be solved – in solidarity.

Exactly the opposite is happening right now. In Germany, unspeakable things are once again being said, the unbelievable is becoming socially acceptable, the lessons of the past are being ignored, and instead of offering solutions to problems, culprits are being sought. And the culprits are once again – “the others.” The migrants, the refugees, those who are often at the lowest rung of the financial ladder, those without a voice and thus without power. Election winners stand on such lies, and those who have money also control power and, increasingly, “truth.”

A devastating development that is reflected in the recent statements of the once-conservative parties. They have long lost the “C” in their name and are now on their way to damage the “D” as well, by clinging to far-right forces.

We cannot, we must not stand idly by and watch this. We must not repeat the mistakes of history and leave those who misinterpret it the power to define the present and play us against each other, instead of wanting to shape it together. “No step back from fascism” already seems too late. But “no further step” is still possible.

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