Saxony-Anhalt rejects Day of Liberation-a controversial signal!
Saxony-Anhalt rejects Day of Liberation-a controversial signal!
On April 9, 2025, a significant political exchange of blows occurred in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt when the left faction failed with its application to declare May 8 as the "day of liberation". The majority of the application was rejected last Friday. This decision is in contrast to a similar application that had success in Saxony a few weeks ago and was supported by the CDU. In Saxony, the AfD was the only parliamentary group that spoke out against the initiative to explain May 8th.
The left -wing faction argued that May 8th symbolizes the end of the Second World War and the liberation from National Socialism. AfD parliamentary group leader Oliver Kirchner, on the other hand, vehemently pointed out the crimes that German civilians were done by the victorious powers after the war. Kirchner asked not to consider the May 8th as a holiday, but as a "day to think and reflect", and criticized the one -sided presentation of May 8th.
May 8th in Germany and Europe
May 8th is celebrated in many European countries as the day of liberation or day of victory and is reminiscent of the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945 and the end of the Second World War in Europe. In the USA and the Commonwealth countries, this day is called VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day). In the Soviet Union and its successor states, however, May 9th is celebrated as the day of victory.
This history is of complex importance. Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel signed on 8./9. May 1945 The Capitulation certificate in Berlin-Karlshorst. May 8th was determined as the time for the hiring of all combat in Europe, although German armed forces fought against Soviet troops until late in the evening. The surrender was already agreed in Reims on May 7, 1945.
from commemoration to official recognition
In Germany, May 8th received little public attention for a long time. While he was considered a legal holiday in the GDR from 1950 to 1967 and again in 1985, the perception of the day in the Federal Republic of Germany changed slowly. It was only with a government declaration in 1970 under Willy Brandt, who recognized May 8 as the "day of liberation", did the official appreciation open. Since 1985 this day has been recognized more and more than a commemoration day.
The DGB Federal Congress called for a nationwide holiday on May 8 in 2018, and some federal states such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (2002) and Schleswig-Holstein (2020) have already established it as an official day of commemoration. Hamburg also declared him an official day of commemoration in 2022. On May 8, 2020, Berlin even found the day as a legal holiday, a step that will be carried out again in 2025.
May 8th is not only a date in history, but is also the focus of current political discussions and social memory practices that actively influence the perspectives on the past.
For more information on May 8 and its historical importance, it is worth taking a look at the corresponding materials, such as those from the Bundestag, which provide detailed information. You can also find details on Wikipedia for a comprehensive consideration of the memorial day in Germany and Europe.
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| Ort | Sachsen-Anhalt, Deutschland |
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