Steinmeier at commemoration: 'Violence destroys democracy'
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for commitment to democracy on the 80th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. "Let us not leave the field to the loud deniers of democracy, but let us protect our democracy," the head of state said after a visit to the German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin. This is the best tribute we can pay to the assassins of July 20, 1944, and all others who resisted the National Socialism.
Steinmeier had previously participated in a commemoration ceremony and placed a wreath at a plaque. On July 20, 1944, Wehrmacht officers led by Claus Schenk Count von Stauffenberg had unsuccessfully attempted to kill the dictator Hitler with a bomb, overthrow the Nazi regime, and end World War II. Stauffenberg and three other accomplices were shot in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock that very evening. The Memorial Center is now located there.
The Federal President said: "The resistance against National Socialism was necessary because the democracy of Weimar did not have the support it needed." In a free democratic state, engagement for it is still the order of the day. "Not hatred and incitement, and above all not violence. Violence destroys democracy." Steinmeier paid tribute to the entire German resistance against the NS dictatorship. It's not about "flawless heroes." It's about the fact that there were people who "did the right thing at the right moment, under great risk for themselves and their families."
Steinmeier emphasized the importance of continuing to support democracy, stating, "80 years after the failed Hitler-Assassination, let's not abandon the fight to the detractors of democracy." During a memorial service, he honored the courageous individuals who resisted against National Socialism, acknowledging, "Some years ago, I participated in a commemoration ceremony for those who resisted, including the victims of the July 20th, 1944, Violence."
