Europawahl 2009 – Erklärung der FIR

21. April 2009

In June 2009 the elections to the European parliament take place in the member states of the European union. This is cause for the International Federation of the Resistance fighters (FIR) – anti-fascist association, the umbrella organization of former resistance fighters, partisans, members of the anti-Hitler coalition, pursued of the Nazi regime and anti-fascist of today’s generations and their member federations in twenty five countries of Europe and Israel, to bring the basic positions of the anti-fascist federations in Europe to the public:

We remind of the anti-fascist roots of the European unification: the community of the anti- Hitler coalition and the internationalism of the survivors of the concentration and extermination camps. One swore 1945 the fact that fascism and war may never threaten again the life of the peoples – and is valid until today. Europe can be from there only an antifascist Europe. And that means concretely:

1) We fight for a peaceful Europe, which uses its role and meaning in the world for it to prevent wars and support non-military conflict resolutions. We oppose the militarization of European foreign policy. „Terrorism „cannot be fought with war politics. The answer to the world-wide refugee misery is not called separation and „fortress Europe“. Europe must take part actively in the fight against escape causes and participate by integration and appropriate admission of refugees in the solution of the problems in the interest of humans.

2) Peaceful Europe means in internal politics to advance toward any forms of social and racist discrimination. The report of the European monitoring center to racism made clear that racist exclusions are not only against Sinti and Roma in different countries of Europe every day’s reality. Who wants to enter Europe reliably against racism and Xenophobia, must refer clearly position here. Peaceful Europe can be only a democratic Europe. Not increasing bureaucracy and centralization, but democratic co-operation and stabilization of the civiliansocial structures is the perspective. The federations of the FIR are active part of this civil society and expect promotion and support.

3) We are active for a social Europe of humans. Trade and capital traffic without brakes may not intend the character of Europe, but a high standard of the social and personal rights and freedoms for all humans. Europe is accepted only by the citizens if it proves that it does not only make liberality and security possible in the vacation, but can give a vocational and social perspective to all humans.

4) We warn of increasing nationalism and chauvinism in Europe. Nobody should want to adjust the cultural variety of Europe. But it is politically devastating for all humans in Europe, if right wing populism and Neo-fascists propagate „my country first „or „Germany to the German“. The presence of racist and right populist parties in the European parliament must be prevented with all means.

Anti-fascists need allied in the European parliament. We call to support those parties actively which stand for democratic, social and anti-fascist Europe. We hope to find these parties in different parliamentary groups because anti-fascism is an attitude, which is not connected to one political-party orientation.