of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR)

Right after the liberation and smashing the fascist barbarism in Europe the former political prisioners of concentration camps and prisions of fascist germany builded an organism FIAPP (Federation internationale des anciens prisioniers politiques) in Warscawa. In 1951 of political reasons the FIAPP changed the structure to integrate organisations of former resistance fighters, deportated and interned people, activist of different political opinions and of all european countries. Although german antifascists has been integrated in this new organisation. The seat of FIR was established in Vienna.

The main tasks of FIR in this time had been destroying fascism with its roots and to bring the political ideas of the resistance fighters and victims of the fascism to power, when they promised "never again fascism, never again war!" FIR supported the victims in their social and medical interests and worked for the remembrance of the fight of the resistants and clandestine groups in several countries. Against a reactivity of fascist groups FIR documented the reality of fascist crimes.

In the fifthies and sixties FIR organised different congresses about medical, political and historical subjects. The historical commission published the first overall view of the resistance movement in different countries of europe.

In the time of the cold war the political work of FIR was strongly connected with the question of peace, disarmament, understanding and cooperation of different political systems.

FIR gave the former resistants a voice against military confrontation. The member federation of western and eastern europe started various initiatives to overcome the policy of confrontation.

Together with other veteran organisations, for example FMAC, FIR prepaired the "World meeting of former war participants for disarmament" 1979 in Rome. Because of the various activities and initiatives for disarmament and international cooperation United Nations declared FIR as a "Peace Messenger".

Against the open activities of fascist traditionalist like HIAG and neofascist groups FIR organised in Strasbourg and Cologne in the 80th mass-demonstrations and other activities.

In the 90th FIR had to react on the changing of the political structures of the world. The social and political problems of partisans and resistance fighters in the former socialist countries growed up, the financial resources going down and the average age of resistance fighters and victims of fascism became higher and higher. So it has been nessessary to open the structure of FIR for the today's generation. This process came to an end at the XIII. regular congress in Berlin 2004, when FIR adopted a new statute including the integration of young antifascists. Now the organisation is named: International Federation of Resistant Fighters - Association of Antifascists (FIR)

Today, the FIR has member-federations in more than twenty european countries and in Israel. The political circumstances changed, but the main tasks are still the promise: Never again!

And that means to work for preventing the historical truth about the restistance fight, about the fascism and the role of the anti-hitlerian-coalition, the allieed forces, above them the soviet soldiers, they carried the main load of the war, which smashed the fascist barbarism.

Based on the community of the fight against the fascism the member federations of the FIR today stand up for peace, political and social human rights and democracy. Together with the members of today's generations FIR acts against neo-fascism, anti-Semitism, racism and terrorism and their social roots.