In preparation of the 75th anniversary, you will find in the coming time at this place several articles about FIR History
Immediately after the liberation and defeat of fascist barbarism in Europe, former political prisoners of the concentration camps and prisons of fascist Germany founded the FIAPP (Federation internationale des anciens prisioniers politiques) in Warsaw. In 1948, the German VVN was also accepted as an equal member. For political reasons, the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) was re-established in June 1951 and succeeded in integrating organizations of former resistance fighters, deportees and internees, activists of different political orientations and from all European countries. The FIR headquarters was established in Vienna.
The main tasks of the FIR at that time were to destroy fascism at its roots and to promote the political legacy of the resistance fighters and victims of fascism, as stated in the “Oath of Buchenwald”: “Destroy Nazism at its roots. Create a new world of peace and freedom!” The FIR supported those persecuted by the Nazi regime in their social and medical needs and worked to preserve the memory of the struggle of the partisans and illegal resistance groups in all countries. To counter the resurgence of neo-fascist groups, the FIR documented the reality of fascist crimes.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the FIR organized various congresses on medical, political, and historical topics. The Historical Commission published the first comprehensive overview of the resistance movement in various European countries.
During the Cold War, the political work of the FIR was strongly linked to the issues of peace, disarmament, understanding, and cooperation between different political systems. The FIR gave the former resistance a voice against military confrontation. The member associations from Western and Eastern Europe launched various initiatives to overcome the policy of confrontation. Together with other veterans’ organizations, such as FMAC, the FIR prepared the “World Meeting of Former War Participants for Disarmament” in Rome in 1979. Due to its diverse activities and initiatives for disarmament and international cooperation, the FIR was named “Ambassador of Peace” by the United Nations.
In the 1980s, the FIR organized mass demonstrations and other activities in Strasbourg and Cologne against the open activities of traditional fascist associations such as HIAG (“Aid Association of Former Members of the Waffen-SS”) and neo-fascist groups.
In the 1990s, the FIR had to respond to changes in the political structures of the world. The social and political problems of partisans and resistance fighters in the former socialist countries grew, financial resources declined, and the average age of women and men from the resistance and victims of fascism continued to rise. It therefore became necessary to open up the structure of the FIR to subsequent generations. This process was completed at the 13th regular congress in Berlin in 2004, when the FIR adopted new statutes that also provide for the integration of young anti-fascists. Since then, the organization has been known as the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Union of Anti-Fascists.
Today, the FIR has member associations in more than twenty-five European countries and in Israel. Political circumstances have changed, but the main tasks are still the promise: “Never again!” This means working to preserve the historical truth about the resistance struggle, about fascism, and about the role of the anti-Hitler coalition, the Allied forces, and above all the Soviet soldiers who bore the brunt of the war and crushed fascist barbarism.
Together with political and social partners, the FIR has organized various international anti-fascist conferences, commemorative events on the occasion of liberation days, and large international youth meetings at concentration camp memorial sites (“Train of Thousand”) in recent years.
In today’s political debates, the FIR and its member associations are recognized for their clear statements and as allies in political alliances. Together with the members of today’s generations, they take a stand against neo-fascism, anti-Semitism, racism, and terrorism and their social roots. On the basis of the common struggle against fascism, the FIR and its member associations today stand up for peace, political and social human rights, and democracy.
