Bas pays tribute to the courage of East Germans when the Wall came down

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas has paid tribute to the courage of the GDR citizens who brought down the Wall between East and West 35 years ago. "The East Germans did a great service to democracy throughout Germany with the Peaceful Revolution," said the SPD politician in the Bundestag. "They also set an example to the whole world for a peaceful revolution."

Bas recalled that the fall of the Wall had very different consequences for people in the West and East. For most West Germans, everyday life continued. "For many East Germans, the upheaval was associated with great hardship: They had to build a new life for themselves. This is an impressive achievement that deserves great recognition. Not just on an anniversary."

The President of the Bundestag pointed out that 9 November also marked the "moral low point in German history". On Pogrom Night in 1938, the Nazis set fire to synagogues, looted Jewish stores and homes and deported Jews en masse.

However, the complex character of 9 November also includes the fact that Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the Republic from a balcony of the Reichstag building on this day in 1918, said Bas.