German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday said Germans must “take the enemies of democracy seriously” in a speech to commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime.
“Let us not go back to a dark time. We know better. Let’s do better!” said Steinmeier in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, two days after marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Germany is at a crossroads, Steinmeier said. “We have it in our hands to preserve what we have achieved and to protect our democracy.”
Steinmeier said the Holocaust is part of Germany’s history and identity.
There is no end to remembrance, “and therefore no end to our responsibility,” the president said.
Steinmeier’s comments came after tech billionaire Elon Musk appeared via video at an event for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), saying the country places “too much focus on past guilt.”
Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks during a memorial service to commemorate the victims of National Socialism at the German Bundestag. Kay Nietfeld/dpa
