On Oct. 27, 28 and 29, Barcelona hosted the 19th Congress of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters, with the participation of nearly 100 delegates and guests from all over Europe and Morocco.

After the opening in the prestigious Saló de les Cròniques of the Barcelona City Hall, with the “Michel Vanderborght” awards ceremony, that this year honored several distinguished European citizens for their civil and antifascist engagement, such as the Italian Senator – and Auschwitz-Birkenau survivor – Liliana Segre; Mrs. Teresa Alonso – a child of the Spanish Civil War evacuated to the USSR who survived the Leningrad’s siege and fought in the Komsomol brigades – and Mrs. Delfina Tomás – who escaped as a child from the Francoist Spain and lately cooperated with the International Federation of Resistance Fighters and the World Peace Council.

Hosted by the CCOO of Catalonia (Comisiones Obreras, the most important trade union of Catalonia), the Congress saw, among others, the interventions of Javier Pacheco (Secretary General of the CCOO of Catalonia), Fernando Martínez (Secretary of State for Remembrance), Gemma Ubasart (Councilor for Justice, Rights and Remembrance) as well as the President of the World Federation of Veterans (WVF/FMAC), Dr El Mostafa El Ktiri, who greeted the delegates. during the different steps of the Congress which led to the partial renewal of the leading bodies and the approval of several statements. The delegates have confirmed Mr. Vimos Hanti for Hungary as President as well as Dr Ulrich Schneider as Secretary General and Dr Filippo Giuffrida as Vice-President, electing Dr Regina Girod as Vice-President. The Congress has also decided to enlarge the Executive Committee, welcoming new representatives from Belgium, Greece, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain.

Among the various documents approved by the 19th Congress, a call on “all parties in all ongoing conflicts for an immediate ceasefire and the start of international negotiations” and a call for a “European Union of the people”, at the occasion of the incoming EU elections, where the delegates have stressed the importance of an EU “opposing any form of nationalism, separatist attempts, racial discrimination, or xenophobia, working for the rights of the refugees and minorities”, as well as “advocating a peace policy based not on domination in matter of foreign policy but on non-military conflict solutions.”

On Sunday 29, the delegates participated in several commemorative events in memory of the International Brigades and the victims of Franco’s dictatorship, with the intervention of FIR Secretary General at the ceremony at the Rambla del Carmel, in front of the Lincoln Brigade monument and of FIR Vice-President at the gathering at Les Masies de l’Espluga de Francolí, near Tarragona, to remember the farewell to the International Brigades by Juan Negrín and Luigi Longo,

Interview with the Secretary General of the FIR Dr. Ulrich Schneider

At the end of October the International Federation of Resistance Fighters (FIR) – Federation of Anti-Fascists will hold its XIX Congress in Barcelona. What is the FIR and whom does it represent?

The FIR is the umbrella organization of these federations, which were founded after the end of the Second World War in whole Europe by resistance fighters and partisans, deportees and survivors, fighters in the ranks of the anti-Hitler coalition and their family members and in many countries also include anti-fascists of today’s generations.
When it was founded in Vienna in 1951, the central theme during the Cold War was the preservation of peace and the political legacy of the survivors. At the same time, it was a matter of remembering the anti-fascist resistance in all its political breadth to future generations. In the course of more than seven decades, we have lost some associations that did not open for new generations. Others who were able to make the generational change and new associations who, for example, see themselves as friends of the International Brigades, have joined.
In this sense, the goals of 1951 apply also today to the approximately 60 member federations of the FIR in 25 countries of Europe, Israel and Latin America. The idea of anti-fascism is alive.

Is the FIR a traditional federation or which tasks does it see today?

The FIR understands itself in the meritorious tradition of the women and men from the resistance against Nazism. In this respect we are a “tradition association”. For us, however, the legacy of the survivors, as it was formulated for example in the “Oath of Buchenwald”, is a current and forward-looking obligation.
If there is talk of “smashing the Nazism with its roots”, then we see today in numerous countries – not only in Europe – the social and societal causes for the resurgence of neo-fascist and extreme right-wing political groups and parties, against which we must become politically active if we stand up for a democratic future. The “creation of a new world of peace and freedom” is unfortunately also not yet a reality. Therefore we are active as “Ambassadors of Peace” of the United Nations together with our member federations in the peace movements. The joint peace message of FIR and the World Veterans Federation (WVF) of November 2022 for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations instead of arms deliveries in the Ukraine war is still relevant. Its urgency in the interest of the people in all war regions is underlined anew every day. But we are also not forgetting the countless other theaters of war in the world.
And when we speak of freedom, we also mean securing democracy and social rights for all people, i.e. also help for refugees. The legacy of the survivors still demands all our strength and attention.

In Spain and Portugal, many contemporary witnesses of the anti-fascist struggle are still alive. But in most of the countries formerly occupied by Nazism, their number has become small. What does that mean for the mediation of the historical experiences?

This is one of the great challenges for many associations of FIR. The disappearance of contemporary witnesses and the increasing historical distance, combined with the resurgence of extreme right-wing forces lead us to experience terrible forms of historical revisionism in many European countries. Monuments to the liberation from fascism and the liberators are destroyed, fascist collaborators are honored as “freedom fighters” – and this is not only happening with the Bandera cult in today’s Ukraine.
At the same time, we see that new ways are needed to provide young people of today’s generations with access to and historical knowledge about the anti-fascist struggle in their respective countries. Many member federations are very engaged in this work and quite successful. We want to evaluate these experiences together in the ranks of the FIR and help thereby to strengthen the historical and memorial work. The historical places of the concentration camp memorials play an important role. Thus we plan together with the member federations for 2025 again an international youth meeting with 1000 participants in the CC-memorial Buchenwald.

The election results for extreme right-wing parties in various European countries are frightening. In May 2024 the next elections for the European Parliament will take place. What is the FIR’s position on this?

At our congress we will formulate a clear political message on the occasion of these elections. Of course, we do not give an election recommendation for any party. We plead for the fact that the civil society forces of the trade unions, the ecological and social movements, the youth and migrant organizations interfere actively in common networks into this election campaign and bring their democratic and on all humans in Europe related demands to hearing.
Because we stand up for a Europe that is aware of its anti-fascist roots, a Europe of all people, in which the social rights especially of the weaker are strengthened, that takes joint responsibility for refugees who come to us from wars, hunger and other disasters, that stands up for peace, European détente policy and against the militarization of the EU. These are big issues. It is our perspective on an anti-fascist Europe.

What does the FIR expect from the congress in Barcelona?

We experience in the preparation in Barcelona and Spain altogether a high readiness of support for the idea of anti-fascism represented by us. That is very encouraging.
During the congress we will participate in several commemorative events in memory of the International Brigades and the Spanish victims of the Franco dictatorship. This shows the social vitality of historical memory.
The feedback so far from the member associations confirms that after the Corona pandemic and with the impact of the Ukraine war, there is a need for a real political exchange. In this regard, the congress will show that an international umbrella organization of associations in the tradition of the anti-fascist struggle is politically needed not only today, but also in the future. And how we succeed in integrating today’s generations into this work. That is the basis for a future of the FIR.

The attack of the Kassem Brigades from the Gaza Strip on Israel fills the headlines. As in the Ukraine war, it is being portrayed as surprising, unprovoked and brutal, and once again the German foreign minister is one of the first to promise unlimited solidarity to one of the warring parties. But the attack has a history that can be traced to the occupation policies of Israeli governments since 1967, which violate international law and have repeatedly led to outbreaks of violence between the parties to the conflict. Attempts to defuse the conflict through a two-state solution have been blocked again and again by the Israeli side.
Developments that are hinting at a rapprochement between individual Arab states and Israel, overriding the interests of the Palestinians in the process, as well as the violent occupation policy of the current far right Netanyahu government, which has claimed some 300 Palestinian lives in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, form the provocative background to the attack from the Gaza Strip on Israeli territory. Without naming and fighting the asymmetry of violence and the use of force in this conflict, a solution will not be possible.

The consequences of the attack of the Kassem Brigades for the people in this war region are serious, several hundred Israelis have been killed, and nearly 2,000 people were injured. On the Palestinian side in the Gaza Strip, more than 1000 people were already killed and several 1000 civilian injured by Israeli forces.
The FIR reaffirms therefore in this situation its basic attitude: Also this attack of the Hamas must be stopped immediately. Ceasefire and negotiations for a peace solution on the basis of the resolutions of the United Nations, which can be actually accepted by both sides, are the only solution in the interest of all people in the conflict regions.
Israel’s security will not be guaranteed until a negotiated two-state solution is implemented. We demand that the governments immediately advocate a halt to hostilities and the lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip, mobilize all available diplomatic forces, and finally promote the negotiated path to a two-state solution on a sustained basis.

Supported by our Catalan comrades and member associations, the congress will be held in Barcelona from Friday, October 27 to Sunday, October 29, 2023.
The schedule is planned as follows:
The opening event will take place in the late afternoon of October 27 at the Old City Hall of the City of Barcelona with the presentation of the Michel Vanderborght Award.
The working phase of the congress will take place on Saturday, October 28, from 9:00 am to early evening in the building of the CCOO trade union federation.
There, the discussion will focus on the political and financial report. Afterwards, three main political topics will be discussed in more detail and finally, the elections to the Executive Committee and the adoption of resolutions and political statements of the Congress will take place.
On Sunday, together with the Catalan friends and the international guests, we will participate in commemorative ceremonies at the Cemetery for the Victims of Francoism and the Central Memory of the “Despedita”. Delegates who can make it possible are invited to participate in a trip to Tarragona on Sunday afternoon together with AIVICS and the Amical de les Brigades Internacionals de Catalunya.
Delegates and guests for the Congress are to be registered by email no later than September 15, 2023. Subsequently, all delegates will receive directly the congress documents and technical details.

Our last regular congress has been end of 2019 in Reggio Emilia. It was an impressive event and a successful meeting. Normally we should have had the next congress in 2022, but due to the Pandemic situation not only in Europe the FIR-EC decided to postpone this important meeting for all member federations. In the last meeting of the executive committee of FIR, we decided finally to prepare our next regular congress of FIR for October 2023 in Barcelona.
Supported by our Catalan comrades and member federations the conference will take place from Friday October 27 to Sunday October 29, 2023 in Barcelona. The opening will be on Friday late afternoon with the ceremony of the Michel Vanderborght Award, the congress itself will be on Saturday and on Sunday we will participate in the ceremonial events of “Despedita”.

All member federations will receive an official invitation in summer. There one can find the regulars, the agenda and – later on – the proposals for common declarations.