In all from German fascism and its allies occupied countries, resistance fight is well known. Also in fascist Germany one can find resistance groups they sacrificed their life for freedom and peace. One of the most popular groups is the clandestine student group “White Rose” at the Munich University.

The members of the group came together because of a common tradition in the “Bündische Jugend” on initiative of a circle of friends around Sophie and Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell from June 1942 in Munich. Most of them had a Christian and humanistic conviction.

The group wrote, printed and distributed on various clandestine distribution routes six leaflets – in varying, rising trend of last up to 9000 copies. The members distributed the leaflets first in the Munich region itself, later on couriers in some other cities of the German Empire. In these publications, they addressed the regime’s crimes and called for resistance to National Socialism.

In the final phase of its existence, the “White Rose” tried supported by Falk Harnack to expand its contacts with other resistance groups to the imperial capital of Berlin and system opposition to the Wehrmacht circles. After the end of the Battle of Stalingrad their members of “White Rose” also painted public facades in Munich with slogans against Hitler and Nazi rule in nightly actions.

At the end of February 1943, the group was smashed by uncovering, arrest of most of its members and finally the execution of their formative members after death sentences of the People’s Court under the chairmanship of Roland Freisler. The first trial started on February 21, 1943 against Sophie and Hans Scholl and Christoph Probst. All were executed next day. The last message of the executed was “Long life the freedom!” Later further trials followed until end of 1943.

The leaflets of the “White Rose” were so popular that the British Royal Airforce dropped also copies as propaganda-material when they attacked German towns with bombs.

The FIR commemorates this resistance group as a part of a wider German resistance movement – mainly based on the organizations of the workers movement, Communists, Socialists and Trade Unionists, but also including Christians and humanistic citizens, some conservatives too. They all have been part of the Anti-Hitler-Coalition. They represented the so-called “other Germany”.

[:en]On February 2, 2018 the International Federation of the Resistance fighters (FIR) – Association of Anti-fascists celebrates the 75^th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory of Stalingrad. The way to Stalingrad was signed by murdering, homicide, exploitation, suppression and destruction – done by German fascism and its allied. Coventry, Rotterdam, Warsaw and Belgrade are the symbols of the air terror, which carried the armed forces over the cities of Europe. Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Majdanek, Sobibor have themselves entrenched in the mind of mankind as ‘monuments’ of the Holocaust – a holocaust produced by Nazi ‘Superior Race’ theories against all peoples, regardless of colour and race.

The victory of Stalingrad stands against it for hope for liberation and the resistance against murderous German fascism.

This hope was paid with countless human lives. The Soviet side registered approximately one million victims among the civilian population and the fighters of the Red Army in this battle. We remind the dead ones and commemorate all of those, which used themselves with their life and their health for the liberation of its country from the fascist occupation and smashing the fascist beast.

This battle of Stalingrad was not only of military importance. It represented a historical turning point in the fight of the anti-Hitler coalition with the expansionistic requirement of German fascism:

• From a military-strategic point, this defeat of the German troops was a turning point, because hereby for the first time the advance was stopped and the “unconquerable” Wehrmacht had to accept a destroying defeat.
• For the development of the anti-Hitler coalition in this battle has been proven that the common efforts of all allied could defeat the murderous beast of fascism and its military apparatus. Red Army’s victory in Stalingrad and afterwards had strong signal effect for Great Britain and the USA to speed up the preparations for the opening of a second front. Stalingrad knows to be regarded therefore with joins and right as beginning of the end of the robbery and murder campaign of the Wehrmacht through half Europe.
• For the resistance movement in all occupied countries and in Germany the battle of Stalingrad was the symbol for the coming defeat of fascism. The women and men in the resistance drew from it strength, motivation and optimism for the continuation of their anti-fascist fight in the political clearing-up work and in the armed Resistance.

In this sense, FIR reminds the anniversary of victory of Stalingrad. We connect our thanks to the fighters with the promise to pass this memory on of the today’s generations. We cannot understand and accept that the today’s German government refuses to participate at the celebration in Volgograd this year.[:]

On February 2, 2018 the International Federation of the Resistance fighters (FIR) – Association of Anti-fascists celebrates the 75^th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory of Stalingrad. The way to Stalingrad was signed by murdering, homicide, exploitation, suppression and destruction – done by German fascism and its allied. Coventry, Rotterdam, Warsaw and Belgrade are the symbols of the air terror, which carried the armed forces over the cities of Europe. Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Majdanek, Sobibor have themselves entrenched in the mind of mankind as ‘monuments’ of the Holocaust – a holocaust produced by Nazi ‘Superior Race’ theories against all peoples, regardless of colour and race.

The victory of Stalingrad stands against it for hope for liberation and the resistance against murderous German fascism.

This hope was paid with countless human lives. The Soviet side registered approximately one million victims among the civilian population and the fighters of the Red Army in this battle. We remind the dead ones and commemorate all of those, which used themselves with their life and their health for the liberation of its country from the fascist occupation and smashing the fascist beast.

This battle of Stalingrad was not only of military importance. It represented a historical turning point in the fight of the anti-Hitler coalition with the expansionistic requirement of German fascism:

• From a military-strategic point, this defeat of the German troops was a turning point, because hereby for the first time the advance was stopped and the “unconquerable” Wehrmacht had to accept a destroying defeat.
• For the development of the anti-Hitler coalition in this battle has been proven that the common efforts of all allied could defeat the murderous beast of fascism and its military apparatus. Red Army’s victory in Stalingrad and afterwards had strong signal effect for Great Britain and the USA to speed up the preparations for the opening of a second front. Stalingrad knows to be regarded therefore with joins and right as beginning of the end of the robbery and murder campaign of the Wehrmacht through half Europe.
• For the resistance movement in all occupied countries and in Germany the battle of Stalingrad was the symbol for the coming defeat of fascism. The women and men in the resistance drew from it strength, motivation and optimism for the continuation of their anti-fascist fight in the political clearing-up work and in the armed Resistance.

In this sense, FIR reminds the anniversary of victory of Stalingrad. We connect our thanks to the fighters with the promise to pass this memory on of the today’s generations. We cannot understand and accept that the today’s German government refuses to participate at the celebration in Volgograd this year.

The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Antifascist Association and its member federations commemorate every year the January 27, 1945, the Liberation-Day of extermination camp Auschwitz by soldiers of the Red Army. To remember the end, it is also needed to face the beginning and the roots of these crimes. That is why we call to remember January 30, 1933 too.

January 30, 1933 is not a “day of remembrance”, it is an obligation for all antifascist-oriented people to prevent any repetition.

It is necessary to prevent the organizations of the labor movement from being prosecuted again. Unionists, Communists and Social Democrats were the first deported to concentration camps whose organizations were persecuted, banned and crushed.

It is important to prevent the democratic rights and freedoms. With “parliamentary authorization“, the rights of the elected parliament were abolished. In the next step, politically dissenters and Jewish scientists were ousted from public life by a ban on the profession and the burning of books.

It is important to prevent war policy once again dominating social life. From the very beginning, co-ordination and the increasing militarization of society up to the practical preparations for war shaped the policy of German fascism.

It is important to prevent racism and anti-Semitism from becoming the maxims of state action. Racist exclusion through pogroms and Nuremberg racial laws created the precondition for the persecution of people of Jewish faith and those who were labeled as Jewish according to racist racial criteria.

FIR recalls that the rise of the fascist forces did not take place in the politically “empty” space. Influential forces from the military, industry, banks and the reactionary elite have significantly promoted and politically supported the rise of the NSDAP.

Therefore, it is necessary to set political counter-signals against all approaches of extreme right-wing politics and fascist ideology.

In addition to remembering the criminal policy, this includes naming the social forces that contributed to the establishment of fascist rule.

This includes facing all approaches of extreme right-wing politics and ideology.

This includes defending democracy and liberties and opposing social cuts.

This includes advocating for actual peace policy and opposing any war policy and war efforts.

Never again fascism – never again war!

In a letter to the president of the Bulgarian Antifascist Union Simeon Ignatov FIR underlined its solidarity:

Today we received the information that in the city of Plovdiv the well-known monument of the Soviet soldier – to the liberator «Alesha» – was desecrated by neo-fascists. These barbarians left swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the walls.

We condemn such act of vandalism and stand on your side against all neo-fascist attempts also in Bulgaria.

It is a good political signal that the Bulgarian foreign Ministry stressed that such actions «are completely unacceptable and are contrary to the traditional tolerance and tolerance inherent to the Bulgarian people, as well as with the adopted country’s obligations under EU and international organizations concerning the fight against racism, xenophobia and crimes of hate».

Based on this statement, we demand the Bulgarian government to integrate the Bulgarian Antifascist Union from now on as an accepted partner in all social activities to preserve the memories of resistance fight and to prevent neo-fascism, racism and crimes of hate.

[:en]In a letter to the president of the Bulgarian Antifascist Union Simeon Ignatov FIR underlined its solidarity:

Today we received the information that in the city of Plovdiv the well-known monument of the Soviet soldier – to the liberator «Alesha» – was desecrated by neo-fascists. These barbarians left swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the walls.

We condemn such act of vandalism and stand on your side against all neo-fascist attempts also in Bulgaria.

It is a good political signal that the Bulgarian foreign Ministry stressed that such actions «are completely unacceptable and are contrary to the traditional tolerance and tolerance inherent to the Bulgarian people, as well as with the adopted country’s obligations under EU and international organizations concerning the fight against racism, xenophobia and crimes of hate».

Based on this statement, we demand the Bulgarian government to integrate the Bulgarian Antifascist Union from now on as an accepted partner in all social activities to preserve the memories of resistance fight and to prevent neo-fascism, racism and crimes of hate.[:]