Remembrance Day for the Victims of Flight and Expulsion

On the occasion of the international Remembrance Day for the Victims of Flight and Expulsion, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for solidarity with those who are affected. "It is important to be aware of the past – but there are more people on the run today than ever before," emphasized Jasna Causevic, one of the STP's Experts on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. "Millions of people were forcibly evicted. We have to help them. They need our compassion and practical support."

Now that the number of refugees has exceeded 70 million worldwide, the day of remembrance is more relevant and important than ever. Therefore, the STP criticizes that those who are acutely affected won't have their say during the official commemoration. "If the victims of today are ignored, the day of remembrance misses its meaning," Causevic stated. "Flight and expulsion are not relics of the past."

Instead, the day of remembrance must remind us of how the fate of the displaced Rohingya or the refugees who are risking their lives on the Mediterranean reflects the European and German history of displacement. "Because of our historical responsibility, we are especially obliged to help those who are currently in need – all over the world," Causevic emphasized. "Millions of people in Lebanon, Turkey, Bangladesh, Greece, Bosnia, and Herzegovina have been waiting for a political solution in their countries of origin for years." Now, they are forced to stand by and watch while the future of their children is destroyed due to a lack of political will. "This is scandalous – especially with regard to Germany's history and the European idea," the human rights activist stated.

On June 20, 2019, the German federal government will commemorate the victims of flight and expulsion with a memorial service in the Zeughaushof (formerly "Schlüterhof") of the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Every year (since 2015) the day of remembrance is celebrated on June 20 – to commemorate the fate of the victims of flight and expulsion all over the world, and especially the German displaced persons. By choosing this date, the Federal Government picked up on the idea of the World Refugee Day of the United Nations, extending the scope of the day of remembrance to the fate of those who experienced expulsion in the past.