German President Frank‑Walter Stein Meer emphasizes that the nation’s democracy is as threatened as it has been in decades, and he calls on citizens to defend it through a “democratic patriotism”. In a guest column for the editorial network “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Tuesday edition), he writes that “our way of life, our freedom and our democracy are today threatened as they have not been for a long time – by enemies of democracy within and by imperial powers abroad”.
Stein Meer stresses that self‑assertion is the order of the day. “To do that, we must know what is at stake and champion the values that matter to us with passion” he says. He suggests that a look back into history can be both a warning and an encouragement. “Our identity is also built on the struggles for democracy and freedom that have spanned centuries” the president notes. “We can be proud of these traditions while still confronting the abyss of the Shoah”.
He reminds readers that democracy in Germany has never been an unquestioned given, and that at every turn “courageous men and women have fought and struggled for it”. The date 18 March is significant because it marks the first republic’s proclamation in 1793, the March Revolution of 1848, and the first free parliament election in East Germany. According to Stein Meer, the past shows “what people can move when they are engaged and what walls they can bring down”.
The current Federal Republic is the Germany that “generations have dreamed of”. “They fought and suffered for it” he writes. “We must not hand this Germany over”. National pride and patriotism should never be left to extremists. Sovereign citizens who maintain their democratic traditions with pride and confidently assert their ideals form a powerful constitutional safeguard, he explains.
This year, Germany will observe “the Day of Democratic History” from 18 to 22 March for the first time. More than 260 venues and institutions nationwide will commemorate the events and personalities in a variety of formats.
