Looking back. Looking ahead. 2020-2025

POLITICS AND SOCIETY | SPEECHES   177 Dear Relatives, Esteemed Consul General Ma ł kiewicz, On behalf of the Bavarian State Parliament and personally,   I assure you:We will not forget the devastation caused by the invasion of your country, nor will we forget the brutality of the Nazis or the countless Polish lives lost. This remains our shared history. Today’s close partnership and friendship between our countries is a profound act of reconciliation. Thank you for rep- resenting the people of Poland and for attending and support- ing this commemoration. Dear Ms W ęż yk, Thank you for sharing the story of your great-grandfather, Julian Bart ý s. The inhumane conditions in the Dachau concen- tration camp – which worsened with each passing winter – are almost unimaginable. And very few people know about killing centres like Hartheim or operations like “14f13”. Ehrenhain I pre- serves memory and knowledge of a truly unfathomable crime. This cemetery contains the graves of concentration camp and euthanasia victims, as well as war graves and the burial places of forced labourers, while Ehrenhain II also holds the graves of resistance fighters. The last recorded victim is Hans Leipelt, a chemistry student who served as a soldier in the SecondWorld War. After being dishonourably discharged as a “half-Jew”, he helped distribute the final leaflet of theWhite Rose. He was arrested in 1943, sentenced to death in 1944 and murdered in Munich-Stadelheim shortly before the end of the war. Ladies and Gentlemen, “One death is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic”. 78 years after the liberation of the concentration camps, we remain fully committed to remembering each and every victim. That is why it was so important to redesign this site – to   restore the victims’ names and let their stories be heard.   Some have criticised the redesign, pointing out that their views are now obstructed. Yes, precisely! That is exactly the point.We need that discom- fort. That visibility. This is a quiet place, yet it cries out – against injustice, cruelty, sorrow and pain. And we must listen.We must look. By doing so, we take a firm stance against all those who want a line   to be drawn under the past – whether out of antisemitism, nationalism or sheer ignorance.We take a firm stance against all those who want to obscure, relativise or trivialise the past, who claim that Germany is paralysed by a “guilt complex” in   an attempt to shift responsibility away from themselves and their country. We want to be the opposite: people who act responsibly, mindful of history, looking ahead to the future in a country committed to democracy, the rule of law, peace and solidarity. Because we see all too clearly that the unthinkable can soon become reality: in Brasília, with the attack on constitutional in- stitutions; or inWashington, with the storming of the Capitol. These are attacks on democracy. And its first line of defence is not the doors of parliament. No! Its first line of defence is a good memory. That is why I advocate for a remembrance culture that is   sustainable, sincere and empathetic. Because I firmly believe that remembering the past does not make us weaker – it makes us stronger. Once we understand what human beings are capable of, we will never forget. We cannot prevent every injustice, but we can make sure we are equipped to stamp out the atrocities that remain possible. I say this in light of recent developments, as last year showed us how swiftly supposed certainties can melt away – on 24 February. The memory of the Holocaust and the crimes against humanity committed by the National Socialists will always form an integral part of Germany’s national interest. So that we can recognise threats early. So that we stay alert to any form of contempt for humanity. So that we can intervene whenever people suffer discrimination, bullying, marginali- sation or even violent attacks. So that we remain vigilant and resilient. Democrats need a good memory. And we are sharpening it. This is the most important lesson from our history. It is our heritage. It is the legacy of every single victim.