President of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament Kristina Herbst (CDU) reminded people on Remembrance Day how fragile and precious peace is. “We mourn the millions of victims of war, violence and displacement, and we remember the suffering caused by genocide, hatred and nationalist delusion in Europe and the world,” Herbst said at a joint memorial hour with the German War Graves Commission in the state parliament.
According to Herbst, the warning wasn’t just directed backwards. It reminds us to take responsibility for the present and the future. “We experienced it again today, right in the middle of it Europe“How war takes away people’s homes, destroys families, and innocent people become victims.” Therefore, Remembrance Day calls on society to take a stand: “against all forms of inhumanity, against anti-Semitism and nationalism, and for peace, human rights, and democracy. We do not forget. And we consciously resolve to draw power from memory to shape our future in freedom and humanity,” Herbst said.
Bishop Nora Steen also emphasized that Remembrance Day commemorates the wounds of the past and at the same time calls for responsibility in the present. “We need to hear and value the voices of today’s witnesses more than ever.” Their experiences are stories of truth and countless war graves are not silent monuments, but living places of memory and remembrance. “They remind us: Peace is not a state that can defend itself. Freedom and security still need our protection today and comprehensive peace requires our unlimited hope,” Steen said.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251116-930-300115/1
