\n
Mr Federal President,<\/span><\/p>\n
Madam President of the Bundestag,<\/span><\/p>\n
Mr Chancellor,<\/span><\/p>\n
Mr President of the Bundesrat,<\/span><\/p>\n
Mr President of the Constitutional Court,<\/span><\/p>\n
Mr President of the <\/span>Volksbund<\/span>,<\/span><\/p>\n
Ladies and gentlemen,<\/span><\/p>\n
Distinguished guests,<\/span><\/p>\n
We are gathered here today in this solemn chamber to commemorate the fallen, the victims of war and violence.<\/span><\/p>\n
People who fell into the abyss of history, into the traps set by other men.<\/span><\/p>\n
The lives of individuals, peoples and nations are rife with <\/span>hurdles <\/span>and tragedies.<\/span><\/p>\n
Sometimes <\/span>they result from <\/span>individual choices, but <\/span>more often <\/span>than not<\/span> they result <\/span>from <\/span>the deliberate actions of others.<\/span><\/p>\n
World War I left <\/span>at least 16 million <\/span>people <\/span>dead, half of whom were civilians, <\/span>as well as <\/span>20 million wounded and maimed.<\/span><\/p>\n
World War II<\/span>, which extended to the Pacific front, is estimated to have claimed <\/span>some <\/span>seventy million lives.<\/span><\/p>\n
The number of <\/span>casualties<\/span>, <\/span>broken down by single <\/span>country, is staggering. And <\/span>we should always bear in mind that we are talking about people, not mere figures<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
How is it possible <\/span>for <\/span>all this <\/span>to <\/span>have happened<\/span>? And that it may <\/span>happen again?<\/span><\/p>\n
How many more deaths will it take before we stop <\/span>considering <\/span>war as a means <\/span>for <\/span>solving disputes between states, which use it to arbitrarily dominate other peoples?<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNie <\/span>wieder<\/span>\u201d. \u201cNever again\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is the expression the international community <\/span>used <\/span>to condemn the Holocaust<\/span>of the Jews<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNie <\/span>wieder<\/span>\u201d <\/span>stands <\/span>against <\/span>\u201c<\/span>wieder<\/span>\u201d: \u201cagain\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is what we are witnessing.<\/span><\/p>\n
War<\/span>,<\/span> again.<\/span><\/p>\n
Racism<\/span>,<\/span> again.<\/span><\/p>\n
Great inequalities<\/span>,<\/span> again.<\/span><\/p>\n
Violence<\/span>,<\/span> again.<\/span><\/p>\n
Aggression<\/span>,<\/span> again.<\/span><\/p>\n
Today, it is a great honour for me to be here and <\/span>to <\/span>attend <\/span>the German National Day of Mourning, to commemorate together the victims of <\/span>conflict<\/span> in the <\/span>very <\/span>year <\/span>that marks <\/span>the 80th anniversary of the end of <\/span>World War II<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
The dead we remember here, the <\/span>dead across <\/span>the world <\/span>felled by <\/span>the violence of conflict, <\/span>must <\/span>concern <\/span>each and every<\/span> one of us<\/span>, <\/span>if we wish to be considered human beings.<\/span><\/p>\n
Today, our gaze and our thoughts <\/span>go <\/span>to the victims of those tragedies.<\/span><\/p>\n
From fallen soldiers to civilians, victims of that <\/span>situation <\/span>– <\/span>war <\/span>–<\/span> which the German Basic Law and the Italian Constitution reject, <\/span>putting to good use<\/span> the great lesson learned from the tragic Second World War.<\/span><\/p>\n
We come together on this day of remembrance and mourning<\/span>,<\/span> because <\/span>remembering our shared history is<\/span> a<\/span> fundamental action for our relentless <\/span>aspiration for peace.<\/span><\/p>\n
The recollection of the <\/span>atrocities <\/span>man has perpetrated <\/span>in the past<\/span>, together with the <\/span>deep sorrow for present<\/span>-day atrocities, <\/span>compel us to <\/span>raise <\/span>awareness: peace is not a<\/span>n ultimate <\/span>goal, <\/span>rather<\/span> the <\/span>result <\/span>of <\/span>a constant <\/span>effort, <\/span>based on the <\/span>achievement of shared values and <\/span>on <\/span>the recognition <\/span>that the <\/span>human dignity of every <\/span>single <\/span>person, everywhere<\/span>, is inviolable<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
War has always sought to cast its dark shadow over humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n
In t<\/span>he twentieth century, the development of the industrialisation of death transformed the tragedy of soldiers into the tragedy of peoples.<\/span><\/p>\n
In the villages of Europe<\/span>,<\/span> in <\/span>the <\/span>cities destroyed by bombing<\/span>s<\/span>, in <\/span>the <\/span>devastated countryside, millions of civilians became targets.<\/span><\/p>\n
Deportations and genocides characterised World War<\/span> II<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
Since then, the face of war <\/span>is no<\/span> longer<\/span> to be seen in <\/span>that of the combatant<\/span> only; it<\/span>has become <\/span>the face <\/span>of the child, <\/span>of <\/span>the mother,<\/span> of<\/span> the defenceless elderly person.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is what is happening today in K<\/span>yiv<\/span> and Gaza.<\/span><\/p>\n
Total war <\/span>does not <\/span>demand <\/span>just <\/span>the defeat or surrender of the enemy, but their annihilation. An <\/span>ever-increasing <\/span>cruelty.<\/span><\/p>\n
In the atomic <\/span>era<\/span>, <\/span>one <\/span>single gesture can wipe out a city and the very innocence of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n
Theodor Heuss, the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany, countered all this with his <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Mut <\/span>zur<\/span> Liebe<\/span>\u201d<\/span>, the courage to love, and his project for a <\/span>\u201c<\/span>living democracy\u201d, warning that: <\/span>\u201c<\/span>There is no freedom without humanity, and there is no peace without memory<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
Living democracy. It is <\/span>a pivotal element <\/span>in the relationship between the principle of authority and the principle of democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n
Indeed, i<\/span>t is<\/span> democracy that <\/span>underpins <\/span>and legitimises authority<\/span>,<\/span> o<\/span>vercoming the temptations of totalitarianism<\/span>, which<\/span> claim to be and represent everything.<\/span><\/p>\n
For <\/span>democracy <\/span>is born <\/span>from the <\/span>very <\/span>principle of freedom, which, in turn, is based on the universality of equality between people.<\/span><\/p>\n
In the post-war period, the <\/span>establishmen<\/span>t<\/span> of the United Nations and <\/span>the <\/span>adoption of<\/span>the <\/span>Geneva Conventions sparked hope for a peace <\/span>supported by <\/span>law, reaffirming a fundamental principle: the civilian population must be protected <\/span>under <\/span>all circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n
Subsequent events <\/span>– <\/span>from Biafra to the Balkans, from Rwanda to Syria, to Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, to Sudan <\/span>– <\/span>show us that war continues to <\/span>chiefly <\/span>affect no<\/span>n-<\/span>combatants.<\/span><\/p>\n
Currently<\/span>, according to the United Nations, <\/span>civilians account for <\/span>over 90% of conflict victims.<\/span><\/p>\n
This cannot <\/span>go unnoticed, nor<\/span> left unpunished.<\/span><\/p>\n
The number of people forced to leave their homes and their land is unprecedented.<\/span><\/p>\n
According to the report released in April by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there were 122 million such people<\/span>. And the figure is increasing by the <\/span>year.<\/span><\/p>\n
Again<\/span>, these are not just statistics.<\/span><\/p>\n
These <\/span>are faces, people on the move, families <\/span>being <\/span>wiped out, <\/span>deprived <\/span>of the future they were preparing for.<\/span><\/p>\n
International humanitarian law, a bulwark against the inhumanity of war, is being challenged by <\/span>all this<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
But no <\/span>\u201c<\/span>exceptional circumstances<\/span>\u201d<\/span> can justify the unjustifiable: the bombing of inhabited areas, cynical<\/span>ly starving <\/span>populations, sexual violence.<\/span><\/p>\n
No longer making a <\/span>distinction between civilians and combatants strikes at the very heart of the principle of humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is the systematic <\/span>implementation <\/span>of the despicable practice of retaliation against innocent people.<\/span><\/p>\n
It <\/span>undermines <\/span>the international order, based on the principle of respect between peoples and <\/span>on the <\/span>recognition of the horror of war, now <\/span>compounded <\/span>by the continuous emergence of new weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n
Ladies and gentlemen,<\/span><\/p>\n
there are antidotes<\/span>, nonetheless,<\/span> to <\/span>this scenario of pain.<\/span><\/p>\n
Peace is not the result of resignation in the face of great tragedies. It is the result of courageous initiatives and courageous people.<\/span><\/p>\n
In recent decades, many <\/span>actors <\/span>in the international community<\/span>, <\/span>including the European Union<\/span>, <\/span>have stubbornly <\/span>and painstakingly strived for <\/span>peace, which is nourished by respect for fundamental human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n
For <\/span>if you <\/span>truly <\/span>want peace, you <\/span>have to<\/span> build it and preserve it.<\/span><\/p>\n
Cooperation between states, institutions and peoples is the only measure that can protect human dignity.<\/span><\/p>\n
M<\/span>ultilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, peacekeeping missions and humanitarian agencies <\/span>are the ones that <\/span>contribute to the challenging and fascinating task of <\/span>forging <\/span>a global conscience.<\/span><\/p>\n
Multilateralism is not bureaucracy, as the <\/span>overbearing parties <\/span>claim:<\/span> it is the tool that <\/span>scales down<\/span> divergences, <\/span>allow<\/span>ing<\/span> for peaceful solutions; it is the language of shared responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is the voice that calls to mind the value of every single person<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s life, as opposed to the arrogance of those who would <\/span>rather witness <\/span>the <\/span>prevailing of <\/span>a<\/span> ruthless, <\/span>supposed <\/span>raison d’\u00e9tat<\/span>, forgetting that popular sovereignty precisely <\/span>belongs <\/span>to the citizens. Sovereignty belongs to the citizens and not to an impersonal Moloch that claims to determine their destinies.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is a means of defence that the inhabitants of the planet can use against the logic of oppression <\/span>pursued by <\/span>those who, <\/span>believing they momentarily have an edge<\/span>, consider themselves entitled to plunder others.<\/span><\/p>\n
New <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Dr <\/span>Strangeloves<\/span>\u201c <\/span>are<\/span> appearing on the horizon, claiming that we must <\/span>\u201c<\/span>love the bomb<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
The 1997 treaty banning nuclear testing has not yet been ratified by China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, Egypt or the United States, while Russia withdrew its ratification in 2023. <\/span>To date, c<\/span>ompliance with the treaty<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s provisions <\/span>is not mitigating <\/span>the looming threat.<\/span><\/p>\n
Other countries are <\/span>declaring they might reconsider <\/span>their rejection of nuclear weapons. This raises fears that we are embarking on a<\/span>n extremely risky <\/span>path, opening a new Pandora<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s box.<\/span><\/p>\n
And a<\/span>ll this is facilitated by the spread, at the international level, of a peremptory, harshly assertive language that claims supremacy.<\/span><\/p>\n
Scrapping treaties and institutions <\/span>created <\/span>to protect <\/span>us from the <\/span>violence that we <\/span>deem <\/span>crimes and <\/span>that we firmly condemn <\/span>in our national societies<\/span> (<\/span>but which some <\/span>claim<\/span>are legitimate in international relations<\/span>)<\/span>, only leads to suffering and division.<\/span><\/p>\n
It must be re<\/span>asserted with great resolve<\/span>: the sovereignty of a people is not expressed in the right to wage war on its neighbour.<\/span><\/p>\n
A nation<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s desire to succeed does not translate into <\/span>generating <\/span>injustice.<\/span><\/p>\n
A w<\/span>ar of aggression <\/span>is <\/span>a crime.<\/span><\/p>\n
The lesson of Nuremberg must be reaffirmed without compromise<\/span>. In the words of Robert Jackson, a prosecutor at that Tribunal: \u201c<\/span>If we can cultivate in the world the idea that aggressive war-making is the way to the prisoner<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s dock rather than the way to hono<\/span>u<\/span>rs, we will have accomplished something toward making the peace more secure<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is up to us<\/span>. I<\/span>t is up to us<\/span>, too<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is up to our peoples, united in suffering <\/span>the <\/span>responsibility for the last world war, <\/span>but <\/span>capable today of being united in building a future of peace and progress.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is up to the Federal Republic of Germany<\/span>;<\/span> it is up to the Italian Republic \u2013 <\/span>just <\/span>as it is <\/span>up <\/span>to everyone in the international community \u2013 to <\/span>pit the force of law against <\/span>the <\/span>claimed supremacy <\/span>of armed force.<\/span><\/p>\n
I also consider this day an invitation to <\/span>contemplate<\/span>, together, the extraordinary journey that our two Republics have made, side by side, <\/span>for building<\/span> –<\/span> over the <\/span>p<\/span>ast eighty years <\/span>–<\/span>a better world, starting with Europe<\/span> itself<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
For having achieved wisdom in international life<\/span>, as well as <\/span>authentic courage.<\/span><\/p>\n
For being truly <\/span>\u201c<\/span>great<\/span>\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
Because this is what we have become over the decades, embracing the cause of European unity.<\/span><\/p>\n
We have <\/span>c<\/span>reate<\/span>d<\/span> an area of peace, freedom, prosperity and respect for human rights<\/span>, something<\/span> that is unprecedented in history.<\/span><\/p>\n
With the <\/span>clear-minded <\/span>courage of those who called for a new chapter and worked to make it happen.<\/span><\/p>\n
The European Union, born from the <\/span>ashes <\/span>of war, has <\/span>become the advocate of a <\/span>multilateralism <\/span>that serves <\/span>peace.<\/span><\/p>\n
Such <\/span>responsibility is even <\/span>greater <\/span>today, <\/span>given the troubling <\/span>international situation.<\/span><\/p>\n
It is a historic role: the pioneers pursued unity when it did not exist, against all previous experience<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
European countries have shown courage. European leaders have shown courage.<\/span><\/p>\n
Let us not allow the European dream \u2013 our Union \u2013 to be torn apart today by the <\/span>devotees <\/span>of dark times. Times that <\/span>have <\/span>left <\/span>a trail of <\/span>pain, misery and <\/span>despair<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is our duty. Every generation has its task.<\/span><\/p>\n
We owe it to those who fell and whom we remember today.<\/span><\/p>\n
We owe it to the names <\/span>inscribed <\/span>on the <\/span>stumbling <\/span>blocks<\/span> in our cities.<\/span><\/p>\n
We owe it to the <\/span>precious memory-preserving <\/span>work <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Volksbund<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n
Finally, we owe it to our <\/span>youths<\/span>, who have the right to a safe world, different and better than that of war and post-war.<\/span><\/p>\n
Mr <\/span>Federal <\/span>President,<\/span><\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/span><\/p>\n
in this spirit, I fully <\/span>feel part of <\/span>the National Day of Mourning.<\/span><\/p>\n
The wounds of <\/span>mankind<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s past cannot be erased, <\/span>yet <\/span>they give rise to a common commitment to the future, to action<\/span>s<\/span> truly based on <\/span>humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n
Our <\/span>duty<\/span>: Never again. Nie <\/span>wieder<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Link to the official page of Quirinale: https:\/\/www.quirinale.it\/elementi\/145002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Berlin, 16\/11\/2025\u00a0 Mr Federal President, Madam President of the Bundestag, Mr Chancellor, Mr President of the Bundesrat, Mr President of the Constitutional Court, Mr President of the Volksbund, Ladies and gentlemen, Distinguished guests, We are gathered here today in this solemn chamber to commemorate the fallen, the victims of war and violence. People who […]","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6842"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6846,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6842\/revisions\/6846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italiarappginevra.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}