I am delighted to see so many young Georgians here today and grateful that with your schools and teachers you participated in an art competition to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Extermination Camp.

Yes, a place that was set up to exterminate human beings – because they are Jews.

It was people like you and me, like everyone, from all walks of life, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, even babies.

The goal was to murder all the Jews of Europe.

Over 1,1 million were murdered in Auschwitz – around 6 million Jews in the Shoah.

This crime against humanity was committed by Germany, by Germans.

Yes, they had helpers, but Germany, my country, was the instigator and perpetrator.

This is our responsibility, and we accept that we bear this responsibility.

Some say, it was so long ago.

80 years is a short time in human history.

What does our responsibility mean?

It means to do everything so this can never happen again.

The 1^st generation, the people wo experienced this, wanted to forget, the 2^nd generation (late 1960’s) demanded full information, the 3^rd generation, my generation, said we need to remember.

Now we have the 4^th generation (the last survivors and eye witnesses are passing away): It is you, the young people in the audience today.

What can we do, what can YOU do to ensure a Never Again?

I contend that it is our task to Beware the Beginnings.

Beware the Beginnings.

The Holocaust was not „surreal“, „unimaginable“ or „incomprehensible“. It was real.

The Nazis were not beasts. They were human beings.

They showed us what human beings are capable of.

And Nazism, the Holocaust, did not appear suddenly out of nowhere.

It did not fall from the sky. It was not like no-one saw it coming.

Many people saw it coming.

And I am afraid that history can repeat itself.

It happened once, therefore it can happen again.

Germany is always against false comparisons. But repetitions in history don’t have to be identical, they can take on varying, yet similar forms.

How did it start in Germany?

First, a party with a dictatorial leader was allowed to come to power. It was not unavoidable that they came to power. But the Germans at the time allowed their democracy to slip away.

The Nazis goal was to destroy democracy, so they could implement their belief in a natural social hierarchy, their vicious racism and extreme nationalism.

Anyone who was not „with them“ was considered to be an enemy that needs to be eradicated by all means, an „enemy of the people“.

This included all political opponents, regardless whether they were Social Democrats, Communists, Liberals, Christian or National Conservatives.

It included minorities like Roma and Sinti, LGBTQ people and also people with a handicap or an illness.

Special about the Nazis was their conviction that Jews needed to be killed, because they are part of a globalist conspiracy and because they „poison the blood“ of the German people.

The Nazis worked with lies and propaganda, whipping up populist sentiment, creating fears of these so-called enemies, „people without a homeland“ and excluding them from the „good and correct, the healthy values“ of Germany.

They moved with great speed and brutality, supported by organized thugs, to intimidate the people and to destroy all the institutions of democracy, i.e. opposition political parties, independent media, judiciary, civil service and other institutions.

They called it „Gleichschaltung“ – switching everything and everyone to the party line.

Many thought: „I hope it will be ok. The worst won’t happen.“

Sound familiar?

I think it does, when you look around the world today.

So what is our responsibility?

To beware the beginnings.

To fight against these kind of trends wherever we encounter them.

My appeal to you, the young people in the audience, would be: Whenever you encounter anti-semitism, racism or xenophobia – or any kind of discrimination: Be outraged. Stand up against it. Say: Not in my house, not in my neighborhood, not in my country!

The lessons we drew in Europe from our history are two-fold: To defend liberal democracy as the best way to manage diverse societies and ensure that we can learn and make progress. And the European Union. To work together as nations, rather than against each other. Please remember, you, the Georgians, remain invited to join the EU.

Most importantly: To say loudly and clearly: Never again is now!

For me as a German this is an eternal responsibility to which I re-commit every day.