Defiant Protest Against Schwerin's Lenin Monument
Demonstration against the Lenin statue in Schwerin - Demonstrations Erupting Over Lenin Statue in Schwerin
Got a bone to pick with ol' Lenin, you say? So does a group of demonstrators. Around thirty protesters from victim associations recently tossed their two cents into the ongoing spat about the Lenin monument in Schwerin, with a good ol' fashioned demonstration to show their distaste for public honors for regime leaders associated with brutal oppression.
"Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, was responsible for the 'Red Terror' he unleashed, which indiscriminately targeted perceived enemies." Burkhard Bley, commissioner for the processing of the SED dictatorship, shared these sentiments during the protest, where the colossal statue was temporarily draped.
The wrath didn’t stop there. Among the victims of political persecution were an estimated 35,000 German civilians who faced forced labor camps or execution in the Soviet occupation zone and early GDR. Bley announced a conference about this topic for late September in Schwerin.
The chant to take down Lenin echoed from Stefan Krikowski, chairman of the Workuta camp community. He demanded, "Enough is enough! Forty years of Lenin is a slap in the face for all victims of the DDR dictatorship. It's high time Lenin went!" Krikowski proposed a monument to Arno Esch to replace Lenin's imposing figure.
Esch, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and a pacifist, was wrongfully executed in Moscow in 1951 for spying and counter-revolutionary activities. The Schwerin Documentation Center for the Victims of Dictatorship in Germany remembers the more than 100 individuals tried and sentenced to death by Soviet military tribunals between 1950 and 1953—Esch included—who were shot in Moscow after their trials in Schwerin.
The controversy surrounding Lenin's statue continues, with the protest organizers complaining about the city's insistence on keeping the monument standing. The statue, erected in 1985, is a relic of the Cold War era, representing ideological alignment with the Soviet Union. Despite the paint attacks targeting the monument, the city has decided to leave it but plans to add a descriptive plaque.
The ongoing feud saw the traveling exhibition "Walls - Bars - Barbed Wire" arrive in the Documentation Center for Dictatorship Victims in Schwerin. The exhibition sheds light on methods and personal consequences of political persecution in the Soviet occupation zone and later GDR. Florian Gradnitzer, the director of the institution, emphasized that the exhibition serves as a poignant reminder of the value of freedom and the importance of safeguarding democratic ideals.
- Schwerin
- Protest
- Victim Association
- GDR
- Demonstration
- Moscow
- Lenin
- SED dictatorship
Fun Facts:
- Located in northwestern Germany, Schwerin was the royal seat for the dukes of Mecklenburg and later, the grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The town is famous for its castle built during the 13th century.
- Germany's division into East and West following World War II resulted in different political ideologies—capitalism in the West and communism in the East. The East German regime, known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was closely aligned with the Soviet Union and lasted from 1949 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
"The Schwerin City Council needs to reevaluate its community policy regarding the Lenin monument, taking into account the strong sentiments against it from victim associations and the general public. This debate falls under the category of both politics and general news."
"As the controversy surrounding the Lenin monument in Schwerin continues, it's crucial for the city to also address broader issues of crime and justice, especially in relation to the victims of political persecution during the Soviet occupation zone and GDR era."
