Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - Last year, the state center for political education in Saxony-Anhalt reached around 22,000 people at more than 150 events. After the corona-related restrictions in 2020 and 2021, this is almost normal again, said director Maik Reichel on Friday in Magdeburg. Because of the pandemic, there were more online events and offers, especially at the beginning of 2022, it said.

With the beginning of the war in Ukraine, an unexpected focus in political education crystallized. "This war of aggression has also left its mark on our program," said Reichel, according to the statement. The focus was on the consequences of the war for Europe and current security issues.

According to its own statements, the state center organized excursions, trips to memorial sites, contemporary witness projects and talks throughout the year and implemented cooperation with other state centers. The focus was primarily on democracy building in the second half of the year, it said.

The largest single event was the state day of the "School without Racism - School with Courage" network on September 21. More than 700 students and teachers came together in Halle. Overall, the number of so-called courage schools rose to 168 in the previous year, according to the state headquarters.