The city of Leipzig commemorated the peaceful revolution in the GDR in 1989 with a festival of lights. This year, however, the focus was on another country.
Leipzig (dpa/sn) - The peaceful revolution in the GDR in autumn 1989 was remembered in Leipzig on Sunday. The commemoration was used this year to express solidarity with Ukraine. Speakers at various events condemned the Russian aggression. Leipzig celebrates a festival of lights every year on October 9th. This commemorates the large demonstration on October 9, 1989, when 70,000 people opposed the GDR state power.
At the traditional prayer for peace in the Nikolaikirche, two Ukrainian women asked for further support for their country. In her sermon, Pastor Kathrin Oxen said that while violence is the wrong way, given the Russian aggression in Ukraine, there is no other way at the moment. Former Federal President Joachim Gauck and Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) took part in the prayer for peace in the well-filled church.
Afterwards, the newly crowned Nobel Peace Prize winner Irina Scherbakowa gave a speech on democracy. She also condemned the war in Ukraine. There is no justification for this war and the suffering of the Ukrainians, said Sherbakova. She is convinced that the war can only end with a victory for Ukraine. Only that will bring peace back to Europe. Sherbakova is the co-founder of the human rights organization Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Memorial received the award with a heavy heart, said Sherbakova. Because the organization has not achieved its goal - the processing of the crimes of the Soviet state, so that they do not happen again. "We now have to reflect on why our voices are too weak, why Russian society did not want to listen to us when we talked about crimes and atrocities (...)." As in the Soviet era, atrocities now took place in Bucha, Izyum and other Ukrainian places.
For the festival of lights, the participants formed a large glowing 89 out of candles on Sunday evening. At that time, the demonstrators in the GDR often carried candles. Several light installations were planned for the evening. The light projects on Augustusplatz, Burgplatz and Richard-Wagner-Platz were designed by different artists.
