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The FIR welcomes the various activities of the German peace movement and the peace forces in other countries on these Easter holidays. As United Nations «Ambassadors of Peace», the FIR and its member federations have been working for decades to overcome the East-West conflict, to achieve comprehensive disarmament and to eliminate the causes of war. However, we are currently experiencing that the action of the peace movement is more necessary than ever:

For months, the political debate in the NATO countries has demanded that all countries should raise their arms budget to the extreme sum of 2% of gross domestic product. In many cases, this means a doubling of the costs of preparing for war. In addition, the transfer of further military units to the eastern areas of NATO is announced, which is clearly directed against Russia.
The FIR calls on all states to join the peacekeepers’ demand for «disarmament rather than rearmament». We see an important positive signal in Russian President Putin’s announcement that Russia will lowering the armaments budget in real terms.

The international situation is currently increasingly strained by the speculative claims of the British government in the case of Skripal. Without real evidence, the Russian government is accused of attempting to kill. Dangerous gestures and the expulsion of Russian diplomats from numerous NATO-affiliated states are severely straining international relations. The political response of the Russian government is used as a pretext for further escalation by the NATO countries.
The FIR calls on all governments to return to the path of normal diplomacy, to engage in serious dialogues, and to avoid escalation within European communications.

In particular, the peace movement calls for its Easter actions to end immediately the illegal military operation of the Turkish government in the north of Syria, contrary to international law. It is not acceptable that a reactionary regime under the guise of NATO approval wages war on foreign territories, breaking the sovereignty of the Syrian state, against those who succeed the fight against the common enemy of the peoples, the so-called «IS-Islamic State». If the international community sees it as a task to combat the threat of reactionary IS-associations, then the states must also take a clear position against the Turkish military action against the Yezidi people in Afrin.
The FIR calls the Turkish government to stop the war on Syrian territory and the international community to stop supporting politically such military aggression.

In this sense, the actions of the peace movement in these days and weeks are more urgent than ever.

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Demonstrations and other events in several European countries, March 17, 2018

The UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was inaugurated in 1966 to commemorate the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, which saw 69 anti-apartheid protestors killed and 178 wounded for taking to the streets against the regime’s racist pass laws. In commemorating the massacre, the UN General Assembly called on all world states and organizations to participate in a program of action to combat racism and racial discrimination.

That is why anti-racist initiatives and member federations of FIR organized this year in several countries activities in the streets. Because today we are facing a massive rise in racism across the globe. Migrants and refugees are being scapegoated for the effects of austerity. The whipping up of anti-Muslim hysteria in the press has led to a dramatic rise in islamophobic attacks with visible Muslim women the primary target. Trump’s Muslim ban, his racist ‘wall’ project and equivocation over white supremacist and fascist marches have led to a climate of racism and fear across the US. Meanwhile in Europe, the rise of the Freedom Party in Austria, Front National in France, AfD in Germany, Jobbik in Hungary, the “Freedom and Direct democracy party” the DSSS party in Czech Republic and the recent nationalist demonstration in Poland are signs of a resurgence of the far right which requires a serious and coordinated effort to turn back. Racist hostility encouraged by right wing politicians and media towards Refugees and Roma is often turning into violence. Islamophobia and Antisemitism are on the rise across the continent.

The initiative “uprise against racism” formulated the slogan:

No to racist scapegoating of Minorities! No to Antisemitism and Islamophobia! Refugees Welcome!

Demonstrations and other activities took place in London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague and Vienna. In Poland United Against Racism (Zjednoczeni Przeciw Rasizmowi) organized manifestations in Warsaw, Wrocław, Tricity (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot), Stationary demos and pickets: Szczecin, Kraków, Toruń, Elbląg, Lublin, Opole, Poznań, Katowice, Radom Olsztyn. In Greece, United Movement Against Racism and Fascism (Keerfa) marched in Athens, Thessaloníki, Patras, Herakleio, Chania, Giannena, Volos and Xanthi. In Germany too events in 25 cities took place.

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Auch 2018 wird es am 16. März in der lettischen Hauptstadt Riga — wie jedes Jahr seit 1991 — zu einem Gottesdienst, einem Ehrenmarsch und einer fahnengesäumten Kundgebung am Freiheitsdenkmal zu Ehren der lettischen Einheiten der Waffen-SS kommen.

Lettland gehört mit Estland, Litauen, der Ukraine und Bulgarien zu den osteuropäischen Staaten in denen Einheiten der Waffen-SS und andere mit den Nazis kollaborierende antisemitische Todesschwadronen als nationale Idole gefeiert werden. Dies geschieht mit staatlicher Duldung und teilweise offener Unterstützung durch Behörden.

Der Rigaer „Ehrenmarsch“ ist eine unerhörte Provokation für die Angehörigen der Opfer der lettischen Polizei und SS-Verbände und für die jüdische, russischsprachige und andere Minderheiten im Land. Er steht nicht nur im Gegensatz zu den Grundwerten der Europäischen Union, deren sonstige Vorzüge der lettische Staat andererseits gerne entgegennimmt, sondern ist auch eine Provokation gegenüber der Russischen Föderation und damit eine Gefahr für den Frieden in Europa.

In Lettland werden antifaschistische Demonstranten erheblichen Repressalien (Telefonüberwachung, Reisebeschränkungen selbst gegenüber EU-Bürgern, Behördenschikanen, Polizeiwillkür, staatliche Einflussnahme auf Hotels und Veranstaltungsunternehmen) ausgesetzt. Dies gilt auch für Unterstützer, die aus Deutschland und anderen Ländern anreisen.

Auch in diesem Jahr protestieren die VVN-BdA und die Mitgliedsverbände der Internationalen Föderation der Widerstandskämpfer (FIR) in Riga und in anderen europäischen Städten vor lettischen Botschaften und Konsulaten gegen die Verherrlichung von NS-Kollaborateuren und Massenmördern.

Wir fordern:

         Schluss mit der Ehrung von NS-Kollaborateuren und Mördern!

         Anerkennen der baltischen Beteiligung am nazistischen Völkermord!

         Freiheit für „Lettland ohne Nazismus“!

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In diesen Tagen erinnern wir an die militärische und politische Okkupation Österreichs durch die deutsche Wehrmacht am 12. März 1938. Nachdem Bundeskanzler Schuschnigg, er war ein Vertreter des Austrofaschismus, auf Druck der österreichischen NS-Bewegung zurückgetreten war, konnte man bereits Hakenkreuz-Fahnen in vielen österreichischen Städten sehen bevor die Wehrmacht die Grenze überschritt.

Der „Anschluss“ markiert das endgültige Ende der Ersten Republik und damit des eigenständigen Staates Österreich. Zweifelsohne wurde diese Entwicklung von einem Gutteil der österreichischen Bevölkerung – aus ganz unterschiedlichen Motiven – begrüßt. Außerdem waren zahlreiche österreichische Nazis in den Reihen der deutschen Wehrmacht, von SS, SA und Gestapo für unvorstellbare Verbrechen – Kriegsverbrechen und Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit bis hin zu Völkermord – verantwortlich.

Aber die FIR erinnert auch an diejenigen Menschen, die diesem Okkupationsregime versuchten zu widerstehen. Die erste Erklärung kam vom ZK der KPÖ aus dem Prager Exil, wohin es aufgrund der Verfolgung durch die Schuschnigg-Regierung gehen musste. Die KPÖ erklärte:

Volk von Österreich! Wehre Dich, leiste Widerstand den fremden Eindringlingen und ihren Agenten. Schließt Euch zusammen, Katholiken und Sozialisten, Arbeiter und Bauern! Schließt Euch zusammen, nun erst recht, zur Front aller Österreicher. Alle Unterschiede der Weltanschauung, alle Parteiunterschiede treten zurück vor der heiligen Aufgabe, die heute dem österreichischen Volke gestellt ist! Zusammenstehen gegen Hitler, zusammenstehen, um Hitlers Soldateska aus Österreich wieder hinauszujagen!

Volk von Österreich! Wehre Dich! Mach die Losung zur Tat: Rot-Weiß-Rot bis in den Tod!

Durch seine eigene Kraft und durch die Hilfe der Weltfront des Friedens wird ein freies, unabhängiges Österreich wiedererstehen.

Wenn wir heute an dieses Datum erinnern, dann ist es notwendig, die gegenwärtige Rechtsentwicklung in Österreich ebenfalls in den Blick zu nehmen. Die antifaschistische Organisation „KZ-Verband“ (Mitgliedsverband der FIR) erklärte aus Anlass des Jahrestages:

Nicht zuletzt vor dem Hintergrund der jüngsten Enthüllungen rund um rechtsextreme Burschenschaften in Österreich erscheint der Kampf für Demokratie, Frieden und Freiheit in Österreich und der Welt als kollektive Verantwortung all jener, für die „Niemals vergessen!“ mehr ist als eine billige Losung in Wahlkampfzeiten.

Die FIR unterstützt alle politischen Anstrengungen, den Vormarsch extrem rechter politischer Kräfte zu stoppen – nicht nur in Österreich.

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These days we have to remember the political and military occupation of Austria by the German Wehrmacht on March 12, 1938. After resign of Bundeskanzler Schuschnigg, he was a right wing politician, forced by Austrian Nazi-groups one could see swastika-banners in several Austrian cities and the German Wehrmacht crossed the border.

The “Anschluss” marked the final of the “First Republic” and a sovereign Austrian state.

It is fact that a majority of the Austrian people welcomed – from different reasons – this development. And it is also well known that a lot of Austrian fascists in the ranks of the German Wehrmacht, the SS, SA and Gestapo were responsible for horrible crimes – war crimes and crimes against humanity until genocide.

But we as FIR remember also those people they tried to resist against this occupation regime. The first declaration came from the Central committee of the KPÖ (Austrian communist party) from Prague exile, because of the political persecution by the Schuschnigg-government. They declared:

“People of Austria! Defend yourself, resist the foreign invaders and their agents. Come together, Catholics and Socialists, Workers and Peasants! Join, now and for all, to the front of all Austrians. All differences of world view, all party differences step back before the holy task, which is put today to the Austrian people! Stand together against Hitler, stand together to chase Hitler’s Soldateska out of Austria again!

People of Austria! Defend yourself! Make the slogan to action: red-white-red until the death! With its own strength and through the help of the World Front of Peace, a free, independent Austria will be resurrected.”

To remember this date it is necessary to face the tasks of today against the right wing political development in Austria too. The antifascist organization “KZ-Verband” declared on the occasion of this anniversary:

“Facing the background of recent exposures about right-wing extremist fraternities in Austria, the fight for democracy, peace and freedom in Austria and the world appears as the collective responsibility of all those for whom «Never forget!» is more than a cheap slogan in election campaigns.”

FIR supports all these political attempts to stop the uprising of extreme right political forces not only in Austria.

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In all from German fascism and its allies occupied countries, resistance fight is well known. Also in fascist Germany one can find resistance groups they sacrificed their life for freedom and peace. One of the most popular groups is the clandestine student group “White Rose” at the Munich University.

The members of the group came together because of a common tradition in the “Bündische Jugend” on initiative of a circle of friends around Sophie and Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell from June 1942 in Munich. Most of them had a Christian and humanistic conviction.

The group wrote, printed and distributed on various clandestine distribution routes six leaflets – in varying, rising trend of last up to 9000 copies. The members distributed the leaflets first in the Munich region itself, later on couriers in some other cities of the German Empire. In these publications, they addressed the regime’s crimes and called for resistance to National Socialism.

In the final phase of its existence, the “White Rose” tried supported by Falk Harnack to expand its contacts with other resistance groups to the imperial capital of Berlin and system opposition to the Wehrmacht circles. After the end of the Battle of Stalingrad their members of “White Rose” also painted public facades in Munich with slogans against Hitler and Nazi rule in nightly actions.

At the end of February 1943, the group was smashed by uncovering, arrest of most of its members and finally the execution of their formative members after death sentences of the People’s Court under the chairmanship of Roland Freisler. The first trial started on February 21, 1943 against Sophie and Hans Scholl and Christoph Probst. All were executed next day. The last message of the executed was “Long life the freedom!” Later further trials followed until end of 1943.

The leaflets of the “White Rose” were so popular that the British Royal Airforce dropped also copies as propaganda-material when they attacked German towns with bombs.

The FIR commemorates this resistance group as a part of a wider German resistance movement – mainly based on the organizations of the workers movement, Communists, Socialists and Trade Unionists, but also including Christians and humanistic citizens, some conservatives too. They all have been part of the Anti-Hitler-Coalition. They represented the so-called “other Germany”.