Merkel calls for commitment to democracy on German Unity Day

Halle, Germany October 3 (BUS): German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a continued commitment to democracy 31 years after German unification.

“Democracy doesn’t just exist. We have to work for it together again and again, every day,” the German news agency (dpa) quoted the conservative politician as saying at a ceremony marking the 31st day of German unity in the central German city of Halle.

She fears that democratic achievements are sometimes taken lightly.

She said that these days we are witnessing more and more attacks on noble values ​​such as freedom of the press. We are witnessing an audience arousing resentment and hatred with lies and misinformation.

“Democracy is under attack,” Merkel said. Therefore, nothing less than social cohesion is being tested.

The chancellor also noted attacks on people working for the common good, such as local firefighters and politicians.

“Verbal violence and extremism that can be exposed to those who fall victim to it must not only be answered, but everyone must reject it,” she said, adding that all quick verbal attacks lead to violence.

Merkel recalled the courageous efforts of many people in the former East Germany during the peaceful revolution of 1989-1990, saying that one should never forget that things could have gone differently.

She also praised the democratic movements in Eastern Europe and the support of Western partners in the path of German unification.

Celebrations of German Unity Day began earlier on Sunday with joint religious rites in Halle that included Christians, Jews and Muslims.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Merkel participated in the service at St. Paul’s Church in the then East German city when the nation split.

After that, a party was held in the Georg Friedrich Handel Hall, a venue dedicated to the concert who was born in the city in 1685.

Merkel was giving one of her last public speeches as chancellor.

The chancellor, who hails from the former East Germany, plans to leave her post after 16 years at the helm of German politics once a new federal government is formed following last Sunday’s inconclusive elections.

However, alliance talks could take months. Meanwhile, Merkel is serving as a transitional chancellor.

Prominent Social Democratic politician Olaf Schulz, who hopes to replace Merkel as chancellor, has called for greater equality of living conditions in the East and West.

“Today we are one country, but there is still a lot to do,” Schultz wrote on Twitter ahead of the reunification celebrations. “We need equal salaries and pensions and perspectives. We can only do that if we focus on common ground.”

Like Schulz, SPD leader Saskia Esken recalled the historic achievement of East German protesters in the fall of 1989.

“I tip my hat to the many brave people who overcame dictatorship by peaceful means,” Esken wrote on Twitter. She added that people came up with new perspectives and helped build democratic structures.

Also attending the festivities was Armin Laschet of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, which is vying with Schulz for the chancellorship.

In October 1989, St. Paul’s Church was one of the meeting places of the peaceful revolution in East Germany, which led to the unification of Germany less than a year later, on October 3, 1990.

The city of Halle in Saxony is hosting the biggest celebrations of Unity Day in Germany this year. Sunday’s party culminates a month-long program of events marking the anniversary.

Like last year, Sunday’s event was a shrinking event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Only 180 guests were invited to participate in the ecumenical service in St. Paul’s Church and 340 guests were invited to the George Friedrich Handel Hall.

Several demonstrations were also planned in Hull on Sunday, while anti-fascist groups warned of possible right-wing activities.

More than 2,500 police officers were deployed to maintain order.