2024-09-30 06:03:00
Marzabotto, Steinmeier’s speech
Today I stand before you as the German Federal President and I feel only pain and shame. I bow before the dead. On behalf of my country today I ask for forgiveness. The victims and you, the children and family members, have the right to be remembered. Memories, pain and horror continue to live in his families. This entire area around Monte Sole is still marked today by deep and visible scars. And I know that the pain is too much because many crimes have gone unpunished. This is the second mistake the Germans have made. That I can speak here today is only possible because you all have given us German reconciliation. What a precious gift this is! You experience this mediation a lot here in Marzabotto and in the surrounding areas and it is very important that you pass it on to the young people, and for this I thank you. And it is very important that the young people know the past, because there are few witnesses left.
Both our countries know that democracy even after it has been achieved, is never a given. We know that freedom and democracy must be protected and protected, that too much patriotism leads to war. We must, therefore, continue on our path of reconciliation and friendship, to a better future for our children and grandchildren in a strong Europe.solidarity and democracy. They are children who are able to hope for a better world and fight, every day, for its realization.’ Thus writes Anna Rosa Nannetti, who is also a mediator of the massacre, referring to the children of Marzabotto. The person who dedicated it to a memorial was written respectfully. To the children who deserve it. This issue is a mission for us. We must believe in a better world. Fight every day together for its fulfillment!.
Remember why what happened is irreversible – this is Primo Levi’s legacy. This is the responsibility before our history – especially for us Germans. And this duty cannot be shirked. On this anniversary I would like to remind all Germans of this. I would like to remind you very clearly because we live in a time in which even in my country we are witnessing the renewal of national and legitimate forces. Forces that intend to weaken or undermine democracy – right in my country. This worries me. But it also gave me a resolution. Our responsibility today is greater than many years ago: to act and fight for the values that support our united Europeof our democracy. Europe has a peaceful future only if we Germans do not forget this responsibility before history and protect it. Never again, this is the moral imperative that must guide us now and forever in the future! It is at the same time a warning and a mission. As German Federal President I promise you: I will do everything to make sure that we Germans respect this responsibility and the gift of reconciliation. I will fight for this every single day.
#Marzabotto #feel #pain #shame #country #forgiveness