Feb 14, 2025
Strenghtening the basis for peace: Thousands heeded the call from TUD rector Staudinger to form a human chain
About 10,000 people embraced Prof. Ursula Staudinger’s call to join hands for the human chain on February 13, 2025. At 6:00 pm, the participants gathered to form the chain - starting on Theaterplatz in front of the Dresden’s Semperoper - standing hand in hand to create a protective ring around the city center. This year, the human chain took shape with particular national and global political events in the forefront of everyone’s minds.
“Knowledge of our past allows us to look to the future with vigilance. We see how in many regions of the world open and democratic societies are under threat from racism and intolerance, how democratic society is endangered from within by the conceptual appropriation and misuse of words such as democracy, peace and freedom of expression, and how democratic dialog is at risk of being silenced in the face of populist disputes,” said Prof. Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD Dresden University of Technology, who obtained the permit to organize the human chain. "I would therefore like to thank everyone who took part in the human chain and for the extensive program that accompanied this event. Thank you for standing up for our liberal-democratic values."
This year's motto "Remembrance for a future of unity in peace and democracy"´ brought the citizens of Dresden and its guests together to remember the victims of the bombing on February 13 and 14, 1945, as well as the millions who died under the tyranny of National Socialism and the suffering that followed. At the same time, the human chain sends a strong signal of unity, vigilance and the unconditional will that we, as a democratic society, take responsibility together. “We are making our standpoint of ‘never again’ clearly visible,” says the Rector.
Dresden's Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert highlighted the significance of the event: "Let's have the courage to break new ground as we commemorate February 13. As crucial as this memory is 80 years after 1945, Dresden should not just focus on this one date. January 27 and May 8 equally belong on the list of events that should never leave our memories. And on a day like today, Dresden should never just focus on itself. Dresden remains one of many cities devastated by the war. We must all strive to ensure that no more cities are forced to bear these scars."
Minister President Michael Kretschmer and the President of the Landtag of Saxony Alexander Dierks all joined the human chain, alongside the British Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, as a guest of honor.
To commence the human chain on Theaterplatz, Cécilia Le Nalbaut from Strasbourg gave a speech in German. She is currently studying at TU Dresden.
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