70 years on and still onging – the 13th of February 2015

This year, the bombardment of Dresden has its 70th anniversary and the people in charge in Dresden still didn’t get it that they way of dealing with this date is the very reason why various right-wing ideologies are so easily compatible with it. An exceptionally good example of this is their strive to make it the big commemoration-happening on the occasion of its “jubilee”. The focus is still on the bombardment and not what caused it!

Since 2011, the Alliance „Dresden-Nazifrei“ calls for a "March for traces of offenders" (Täterspurenmahngang). We show at various places in the city that Dresden was not the innocent city of culture and arts it was proclaimed as during and after the war. SA and SS, Gestapo and forced labour, hatred and persecution war part of Dresden as they in every other city in Germany. Dresden was part of the war machinery of the “Third Reich” as well as the Holocaust. Dresden was bombed just like many other German cities and not more or less innocent than them Our "March for traces of offenders" aims to show this by presenting historic facts to selected places of interest.

As far as we are concerned, the duty to elucidate is still prevailing. Admittedly, the relation of the people of Dresden towards history of the city has changed during the last few years, but last year there were already tendencies to go back to “peaceful commemoration” now as the Nazi-abuse allegedly vanished. This year will again see attempts to qualify the German debt – for example by levelling the German Blitz and the response of the allied forces – or even by trying to relinquish past accomplishments: Besides the Nazis, who are quite likely to again participate in the official commemoration ceremony without any hindrance, is it now the AfD trying to make “silent commemoration” of Dresden as innocent city of victims fashionable. With an own event on the old market (Altmarkt) they want to call for a “commemoration with dignity” and set the discussions about the Dresden culture of commemoration back to the stage of the 90s.

However, our „March for the traces of offenders“ is not to be mistaken for an open-air history lesson. It is rather our contribution to the debate on commemoration in Dresden by setting a questioning, critical counterpart to the noncritical commemoration. The well-led “self-commiseration” of the city, which is displayed well this year by inviting President Gauck, has to stop. Dresden would to better if it took advice from the late Richard von Weizsäcker: The 8^th of May would present far more dignity to remember the cruelness of World War II and the guilt of the offenders to draw the right conclusions for the future – a day of liberation, just as Weizsäcker described already in 1985.

But more recent developments want to be taken into consideration as well. It is no coincidence that the “Pegida” movement of the recent weeks and months could make prejudices and hatred towards actual and alleged refugees again fashionable in Dresden and nowhere else. Just like it is also no coincidence that the amount of xenophobic attacks has risen sharply since the start of the “Pegida” demonstrations. In times of rising inhumane attitudes, we simply have to show solidarity and stand side-by-side with the ones who were and are victims of hatred, discrimination and violence.

As you can see, there are enough reasons to go to the streets to come terms with the past, also 70 years after the end of World War II – you are cordially invited to follow our call to do so with us!

No march, just marching off? – The Nazi plans concerning Feb, 13^th.

The 2009 neo-Nazi march was the largest of its kind in Europe. Due to successful blockading efforts, the number of participants has continued to decrease in the in the following years. In 2014, February 13 saw no major Nazi event at all. Instead they have taken to smaller activities and a demonstration on the eve of the 13th. For the current year there is no significant Nazi mobilization effort to Dresden apparent, which obviously does not rule out spontaneous demonstrations similar to those of last year. We are focusing this years efforts on being better prepared for such a scenario and being able to react immediately to any sudden developments. We will be ready to act on spontaneous Nazi demonstrations around the February 13 – which also means that a call for blockades might be issued only shortly before the 13th, or at the 13th, perhaps even only a few hours in advance. We ask you to keep updated via our website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Our goal is as clear as ever: Wherever there are Nazis marching – we will block them!