German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called on citizens to stand up for democracy and freedom, as the country marked the 80th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
“The coup attempt on July 20, 1944 failed. The unifying goals of the resistance did not,” Scholz said at a memorial ceremony in Berlin, where he and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier laid wreaths in memory of those involved in the attempted coup against the Nazi dictator.
On July 20, 1944, German army officers led by Claus von Stauffenberg tried in vain to kill Hitler with a bomb, with the aim of overthrowing the Nazi regime and ending World War II.
Stauffenberg and three others involved were shot that same evening in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock in Berlin, a military complex which now houses the German Resistance Memorial Centre.
In his speech, Scholz said the coup against Hitler had proved that an alternative to the Nazi dictatorship, and a better Germany, were possible.
The resistance was a reminder to remain steady in the face of history, the chancellor added.
To play their part, modern citizens of democratic Germany no longer need to attempt dangerous deeds such as assassinating a dictator, Scholz said.
Nonetheless, they must engage in democratic processes and oppose hatred and extremism, he argued.
“Our democracy relies on our tireless efforts, on the efforts of each and every one of us,” Scholz concluded.
Steinmeier, too, called on Germans to “protect our democracy” in honour of those who gave their lives to the resistance against Hitler.
“The resistance against National Socialism was necessary because the Weimar democracy did not have the support it needed,” the president said, referring to the short-lived democratic republic of 1919-1933 that was overthrown by the Nazis.
Steinmeier said citizens should not become caught up in hatred. “Violence destroys democracy,” he stated.
The president paid tribute to the members of the resistance against Hitler, saying Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators were not “flawless heroes,” but people “who did the right thing at the right moment and at great risk to themselves and their families.”
Later on Saturday, Scholz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius were due to appear at an oath-taking ceremony for almost 400 recruits to the German Armed Forces.
