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BERLIN – Faced with the resurgence of xenophobia that has reshaped the German political landscape, the country's leaders warned Friday that the Germans should defend democracy for hate crimes like Kristallnacht, burning synagogues and looting Jewish stores run by the Nazis 80 years ago, "never again".
On the occasion of the centenary of the declaration of the first democratic republic of Germany and, 20 years later, of Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Germans to adopt an "enlightened patriotism" Celebrating their democratic achievements while protecting them from the forces of hate that led the country to the "breach of civilization", the Holocaust.
The president's address to Parliament was the first of a series of monuments commemorating several historic events that converge on November 9, considered by the Germans as their "fateful day". At a ceremony in honor of Kristallnacht victims, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against a resurgence of anti-Semitism. Later on Friday, officials laid wreaths in front of a remnant of the Berlin Wall, which was broken under pressure from peaceful East-German demonstrators on that date in 1989, a year before the reunification of the country.
Recent events have clearly preoccupied German leaders. Nationalism and rising populism forced the country to look inward, struggling to find answers to violent protests against foreigners that have become commonplace in the former East Germany, as well as a political debate magnifying with the entry into the Parliament of the Anti-Anti-Semitism. far right immigrant for Germany, or AfD.
"We can be proud of our tradition of freedom and democracy, without losing sight of the abyss that is the Holocaust," said Steinmeier, using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust.
"It's the essence of enlightened patriotism," said the president. "It's never noisy or boastful, but a patriotism of soft sounds and mixed feelings."
The AfD was not invited by leaders of the German Jewish community to a ceremony at the Rykestrasse Synagogue in Berlin, which was burned down in 1938. The fire died out quickly enough to prevent neighboring houses from taking over. fire. Thousands of Germans took part in, or held at least 91 dead and 7,500 companies looted.
"Few people protested," said Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. This, he said, sent a signal to the Nazis that they will continue their violence against the Jews, leading to the death camps.
"Today we commemorate the promise that we will firmly oppose attacks against our open and plural society," said Merkel. "We commemorate knowing that watching the lines cross each other and that the crimes are committed means ultimately accompanying them."
Official statistics show that the number of antisemitic criminal offenses committed last year increased from 1,468 in 2016 to 1,504, but it includes only criminal offenses, such as bodily injury or the destruction of property. property, which has been reported to the police.
Daily insults to Jewish people or institutions, in person or online, that are not included in these statistics and are often not reported to the police, have increased in Germany in recent years, according to groups monitoring speeches. of hatred and hate crimes. People wearing Star of David caps or jewelry or tattoos have been harassed or assaulted on the street, especially in Berlin, according to the groups.
The increase of about one million refugees from Muslim majority countries in 2015 is behind this increase, although the attacks often come from right-wing extremists rather than immigrants. Schools have struggled to find ways to teach the country's dark history to young Germans, many of whom are recent immigrants or children of immigrants.
Ms Merkel said that anyone living in Germany should respect the country's equality values, enshrined in the Constitution, regardless of religion. "Just as all Muslims should never be suspected, because some people are violent in the name of their religion, it is at the same time clear that everyone living in our country must respect the values of our Constitution," he said. she declared.
At the opening of the ceremony in the renovated synagogue, Gideon Joffe, head of the Jewish community in Berlin, said that he was often asked if Jewish life was still possible and welcome in Germany.
"My answer is yes," he said. "Yes categorically."
