75 years ago the village was destroyed by the Wehrmacht and SS

The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Association of anti – fascists commemorates the 75th anniversary of the crimes of the German occupation troops against the Czech civilian population.

75 years ago, on 10 June 1942 German troops murdered in Czechoslovakia in the village of Lidice about 20 kilometers northwest of Prague the whole male population, the women were deported in concentration camps and most children were killed in CC Chelmno. Two weeks later German troops murdered more than 30 men in Lezaky, about a hundred kilometers east of Prague.

As a justification for these massacres, the Fascist occupation troops called the successful bombing of Reinhard Heydrich, the planning commissioner for the “final solution” of the Jewish question and the highest NS functionary in Bohemia and Moravia. In fact, at the end of May 1942, a small group of Czechoslovak resistance fighters trained in the UK managed to kill this responsible for numerous crimes against the Czechoslovak population.

For revenge and as intimidation, the village of Lidice was destroyed and the men of Lezarky were shot. But this terror could not suppress the illegal resistance struggle in CSR. Czechoslovak antifascists contributed to the liberation of their country from fascism.

The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) reminds the fighters against Fascism, who have kept their courage and struggle despite terror and persecution. But we also recall the broad solidarity of the anti-fascists around the world, which contributed to the fact that Lidice could never be forgotten.

We welcome the fact that the Czech government is organizing this Memorial Day in dignified form. As a special appreciation, we see the decision of the Slovakian government to honor one of the resistance fighters posthumously with high honors. These are important signals against all attempts of falsifying history:

The anti-fascist resistance was not responsible for this massacre but the fascist occupation policy. We will not allow the relativization of fascist crimes and the rehabilitation of fascist collaborators!

The International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Association of Antifascists and their member associations in more than 25 countries of Europe and Israel recall the 80th anniversary of the criminal bombing of the Basque city of Guernica on 26 April 1937 by the German “Legion Condor”.

This attack on an undefended city has been a “breach of civilization” in history. It was an attack by a foreign power against a legal government and was directed only against the civilian population. The attack also meant the destruction of the “holy city of the Basques”, a symbol of their free-democratic traditions and their self-conscious culture. The result was devastating: 80% of all buildings were destroyed, among the roughly 6,000 inhabitants there were 1654 dead and 889 injured, according to the Basque government. For the Nazi Luftwaffe and Hermann Goering, the destruction of Guernica was “a complete success of the Luftwaffe”. Spain was thus a test field for the planned World War II.

Picasso’s painting “Guernica” – painted for the world exhibition in Paris in 1937 – immortalized the crime, the horror in the face of the devastations of the war. It is the visualized accuse of its victims. “Guernica” is a symbol of the rejection of war and its destructive force.

To this day, there are great lacks in historical and political reconstruction. Since the end of the Franco regime, politicians and anti-fascists have demanded in vain that the Picasso painting should be handed over to the city as a symbol of the recognition of suffering and reparation. Twenty years ago the former German President Roman Herzog wrote a letter of apology and reconciliation to the victims of Guernica and her descendants. However, this gesture remained. That was, however, more than all the Spanish governments are still ready to contend with the Basque city.

The refusal, which today’s post-franquist Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (PP) shows that the Spanish society has only worked down the Franco dictatorship. Honors of the regime are just as much a part of the agenda as the fact that the judgments of the injustice of justice continue. These include the “honorable remembrance” and the pensions that Germany had left to the war members of the “Legion Condor” and Franco’s “Blue Division”, who were fighting against the Soviet Union on the side of the Fascist troops.

80 years after the bombing of Guernica, this act and the responsibility of the German “Legion Condor” are often forgotten. The FIR and its member federations – not only in Spain – are working to ensure that these events remain a permanent place in the collective memory of the peoples. They should be a permanent warning symbol against all violations of international law.

FIR sent the following letter of condolence to the Bulgarian Antifascist Union and the International Dimitrov Foundation, Sofia

With deep sorrow we have to take note of the death of prof. Velko Valkanov this week-end.

Just after the XVII regular congress of FIR in Prague confirmed him as member of the honor presidency of FIR, he was very excited about, he died at the age of 88 years.

Prof. Valkanov was an active historian and journalist, who analyzed and published in several media. As antifascist he advised against right-wing policy and tendencies not only in Bulgaria, but in various parts of Europe. He faced the history and gave answers to the today’s situation and for future tasks. That is how we will remember him.

Because of his very active work in the sense of FIR the XVI FIR congress in Sofia 2013 named him first time as member of honor presidency.  With his death the Bulgarian antifascist movement lost a highly estimated figure. We will not forget him. We would like to express our condolences also to his family and all relatives.

The Executive committee decided to hold the XVII regular congress of FIR November 18 – 20, 2016 in Prague. Since the XVI regular congress in Sofia we could experience a number of important developments of the political work. Impressive commemoration activities of the 70^th anniversary of Day of Victory and common activities like the international youth meeting in Auschwitz underlined importance of FIR and the meaning of the work with the youth. On the other hand confirms the problematic development (f. e. danger of war, problems for refugees, and uprising of extreme right groups) not only in Europe but in different parts of the world the necessity of anti-fascist and anti-racist activities also in the future. Therefor a strong and authorized to act organization is necessary. So the tasks of the coming congress will be to make a realistic balance of our common work of the last years and to define the coming tasks. In addition we have to elect the leading committees. At the evening of November 18 – as an opening ceremony – we will hand over the Michel-Vanderborght-Award to partners of FIR. The closing will be a common commemoration ceremony in Lidice on Sunday morning. More than 50 delegates and guests from about 20 European countries and Israel are expected. Also guest from international structures and social organizations of Czech republic. The preparation of the congress has been done with excellent support of our Czech member federation CSBS. The conference and the accommodation will be in TOP Hotel Praha (Congress Center). Working languages at the congress are English and Russian. If somebody is interested to participate as guest, please ask the national federation or contact the FIR-office.

For months, the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Association of Anti-fascists and its member federations follows with great concern the political development in Turkey. It was already visible that the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan started on one hand an increasingly expansionist policy with the support of IS troops in Syria, on the other hand domestically he practices a restriction of democratic freedoms, particularly freedom of the press. Nevertheless, Erdoğan was chosen by the EU administration in spring 2016 as a helper in the refugee question, he should solve the problem of the influx of migrants to Europe – rewarded with 3 billion euros.

With the military coup in Turkey in mid July 2016, this development has not been stopped, but developed further amplified. The failed coup that would itself certainly brought no increase in democracy is used by Erdoğan to secure its power – with anti-democratic means and repealing fundamental freedoms. Tens of thousands of teachers, judges and heads of university departments are already released, many soldiers are imprisoned. The repression goes on and now it hits especially journalists. Criticism of the current repealing “European Convention on Human Rights” overlooks that this have already taken place in recent months in Turkey with serious violations of civil and human rights.

Every day we see further restrictions on democratic freedom. For Academics the free passage is prohibited, thousands of passports are canceled, and over 50,000 public sector workers have already lost their jobs. About 50 newspapers and other media lost their licenses, so that public opinion is only controlled by the government media. In addition, the police and military repression of the Kurdish people continues undiminished in southeastern Turkey.

For these reasons, we call for political solidarity with the democratic forces of Turkey, the unions, the persecuted political parties, the democratic media and the civil society organizations. Their freedom must be restored. We are in solidarity with the people of Turkey, who resist an authoritarian Islamist state in the sense of President Erdoğan.

We call the European Union to demand from the Turkish government in compliance with European values: democracy, rule of law, press freedom and the right to freely assemble, to express themselves peacefully or to pursue one’s own religion. Accession negotiations with Turkey can be made not only depends on whether the death penalty is to be reintroduced.

We expect the European Union to demand from the Turkish government under President Erdoğan the restoration of democratic rights and freedoms in Turkey instead of deals at the expense of war refugees.

We have to say a last far-well to Elie Wiesel, who died in the first days of July 2016 at the age of 87 years. He was an international well-known survivor of the CC Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Born in Sighet in Transylvania, he was deported 1944 with his family to the extermination camp Auschwitz, where most of its members were killed. He himself left with an evacuation transport to Buchenwald, where he experienced one hand the hell of “Little Camp”, on the other hand the organized resistance of prisoners and the liberation on April 11, 1945. Although he was not a part of the resistance organization, he never forgot this solidary performance of his comrades.

As rapporteur of the United Nations and later as a professor of literature, philosophy and Judaism his central concern was to do everything that these crimes against humanity will not be forgotten and racism and antisemitism will never allowed to recover its strength. For this commitment, 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Several times he took the floor to speak to the world community to defend humanism and to preserve memories. June 2009, he accompanied US-President Barack Obama together with the President of the International Committee Buchenwald Dora Bertrand Herz during his visit in the memorial Buchenwald.

Until his last days, Elie Wiesel was active in the historical educational work and in the preservation of the memories of the victims of racist extermination policy. An important voice of the survivors, a voice of humanism and anti-racist movement has ceased with his death. We will never forget him.

Vilmos Hanti, President, Dr. Ulrich Schneider, General Secretary