8th May 2010 - 65th anniversary of day of liberation - day of victory

65 years ago, on the 8th May 1945 humanity experienced the final military defeat of German fascism.

This day marks the people's victory over an inhuman regime of Hitler fascism,

• which exiled, pursued and arrested political opponents,
• which eliminated millions of peoples in the name of the "pure race" from specific racial groups as Jews, Sinti and Roma, Slavic etc.
• which brought occupation and destruction to all neighbouring countries of Europe and even more in other parts of the world, a war which costs the life of more than 50 million people.

The fascist world domination plans were stopped by joint action of all members of the anti-Hitler-alliance.

It has been done by the armed forces of the alliance, above all the members of the Soviet army, which carried the main load of the war (27.000.000 military and civil soviet victims), which smashed this threat also militarily.

It has been done by the partisans and resistance fighters in all occupied countries, but also in Germany itself, those who gave their life for the liberty of there own country. These national-liberation movements included women and men, communists and catholics, liberals and social democrats, trade unionists and although conservatives.

We honour all those patriots, the contribution of the antifascist alliance and the peoples' national-liberation movements.

The 8th May 1945 is thereby the day of liberation and victory for all of German fascism threatened peoples, the fighters against fascism of all countries, all victims of fascist regimes.

This historical truth is increasingly displaced. The crimes of fascism are relativised, collaborators rehabilitated or stylised too "freedom heroes". The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) - Association of Antifascists keeps itself against all attempts to establish a reactionary historical view - based on totalitarianism doctrine and historical falsification - in Europe.

We remind on the occasion of this anniversary:

The 8th May 1945 marks the beginning of a new policy in the international relations.

The common acting of all Nazi opponents created the basis to establish the United Nations and to adjust the basics of international law, which represented the basis for pursuit and condemnation of the main war criminals in the Nuremberg Tribunal.

After the victory over nazi-fascism the peoples of several countries, benefited, for the first time, from political, economical, social and cultural rights which were inserted on its constitutions and its ordinary juridical basis. It was also very important to reinforce the maintenance of the anti-colonialist and antifascist fight in countries were these regimes prevailed.

However, today, following the overturn in the former socialist countries, the "right of the strongest" is reinstated in international relations. International Agreements and Rules of Law, created under the umbrella of the UN, are being broken and dissolved.

That's why we have to intensify our fight against imperialist intervention and threats, against militarization and to bring the international law and decisions of the UN back to power.

The common idea of all anti-fascists at that time was called "never again!" This is an obligation for today and tomorrow. Together with the members of today's generations we act

• against neo-fascism, extreme right and right-wing populism,
• against social exclusion, xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism,
• against war and terrorism as well as their social roots.

On the basis of the common fight against the barbaric fascism the 65 member organizations of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters - FIR - Association of Antifascists in Europe and Israel today stands

• for peace and disarmament,
• for political and social human rights, for democracy.

Thus we create a "new world of peace and freedom!"