Weimar (dpa/th) - Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) has been awarded this year's "Lionheart" peace prize. Ramelow accepted the award from the non-profit organization "Human Projects" on Wednesday at the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial in Weimar. The prize honors personalities and organizations for outstanding services to peace and reconciliation.
According to the State Chancellery, the justification stated that Ramelow, together with many others, was resolutely opposing the ever-expanding national thinking and acting. The award also recognizes his decades of commitment to Jewish life and to fighting anti-Semitism.
According to the State Chancellery, Ramelow said in his acceptance speech: "It feels strange to receive a peace prize in the middle of a war - in the midst of criminal bombings against the civilian population and countless other war crimes."
With the award, a project named by the award winner is supported. According to Human Projects, Ramelow has proposed a foundation in Chile. Previous winners include the "Fridays for Future" movement, the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev and the artist Konstantin Wecker.
