November 9th is an historic day for both Germany and the world.
Blog by Jack Tannock, media volunteer at Scottish Refugee Council
November 9th is the anniversary of two of the most significant events in European history: Kristallnacht (1938) and the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989). The second and most recent of these events was one of great hope, but the first was a moment of horror.
Both had profound implications for the entire world, but it is also important to remember the thousands of refugees who fled the land that they loved and called home in order to escape from persecution and oppression. In both cases many people found a new home in the UK; there were also many who didn’t make it.
Night of Broken Glass
Kristallnacht (also known as the Night of Broken Glass) is the name given to an attack on German Jews which took place on November 9 1938. By the following day 91 Jews had been killed and 30,000 imprisoned. Jewish shops and businesses were destroyed and many synagogues were burned to the ground. It is seen by many as marking the beginning of the Holocaust. But this night of horror had another effect – it shocked global opinion which had until then seemed content to make excuses for the Nazi regime.
Kristallnacht led directly to events such as the Kindertransport, where thousands of Jewish Children were evacuated to Britain. It is worth noting that before Kristallnacht many elements of British society were hostile towards Jewish refugees fleeing to Britain, just as there are hostilities towards people fleeing to safety today. But by saving these children, they were spared the horrors to come (many of their families did not survive the Holocaust) and they went on to make incredible contributions to British society.
Tear down this wall!
On November 9th this year, Germany will observe the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The fall of the Berlin Wall is surely one of the great moments of hope for humanity. It was a time when the barriers between people were both literally and metaphorically broken down in the spirit of unity and democracy.
By 1989 the communist governments of Eastern Europe were coming to an end but the events of November 9th that year still happened quite suddenly and took many by surprise. What began as nothing more than a few protesters soon turned into a full blown movement for change – a change which did happen. It was a triumph for democracy, but we should not forget that the Cold War produced millions of refugees too. From defectors from the Eastern Bloc to many thousands fleeing proxy wars in the Third World, the battle between the superpowers drove many to leave their homes in search of freedom from persecution.
Walls still standing today
While we remember these two events we should not forget the problems that remain today. The prejudice faced by the Jews in Nazi Germany is still faced by minorities around the world. And in many places the walls (both metaphorical and literal) that separate people still stand.
When we remember these two contrasting events on November 9th we should not forget those who still suffer today. If we are able to help people find safety from persecution, as we did with the Jewish children in the 30s, then we should be proud to do so. We should know by now that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men and women to stand aside and do nothing. We must not stand aside.
