Memmingen Freedom Prize 1525 awarded to Heribert Prantl

Memmingen – On Saturday, the “Memmingen Freedom Prize 1525” was awarded for the fifth time in a grand ceremony in St. Martin's Church.

This is reminiscent of the composition of the so-called "12 farmer's articles", which were written almost 500 years ago in the Memminger Kramerzunft.

Awarded to Professor Dr.

Heribert Prantl, the award is also endowed with 15,000 euros in prize money.

Prantl, born in 1953, is an author, political journalist and lawyer.

He initially worked as a judge and prosecutor before turning to journalism.

From 1995 to 2017 he was head of the domestic policy department and from 2018 to 2019 head of the opinion department of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich;

from 2011 to 2019 he was a member of the editor-in-chief.

Prantl is the author of numerous books and continues to work as a columnist and author.

Mayor Manfred Schilder started the speeches: “With his knowledgeable and sharp analyzes of our society, Professor Heribert Prantl works tirelessly and with great emphasis to protect human dignity, freedom, law and justice.

In the field of tension between law, morality and politics, he opposes a negligent handling of the truth and defends freedom of the press as one of the basic pillars of our democratic society," Manfred Schilder read from the Freedom Prize certificate.

In his laudatory speech, former Bundestag President Prof. Dr.

Norbert Lammert described the award winner as a “committed European, professing Christian, excellent lawyer and brilliant journalist.” Lammert presented some important quotes from the award winner, humorously at times and yet very seriously: “It is not freedom that has to justify itself, but rather its restriction and limitation”.

And: Journalism is “the only profession for which there is a fundamental right of its own, freedom of the press.

And this freedom of the press is not only a right, it is also a duty.” Lammert also remarked: “The public lust for a politics untying Alexandrian knots is an undemocratic lust;

a democrat does not hit fast, but fiddles around.

Sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes an awfully long time, a democrat doesn't let rags fly,

but tries to untie the knot.” Because that's the only way democracy works in contrast to authoritarian systems.

Prof. Prantl has dedicated himself to democracy and fundamental rights in his work.

What particularly connects him (Lammert) and Prof. Prantl is respect for the German constitution.

After that, the award winner Prof. Dr.

Heribert Prantl: "I thank the city of Memmingen for getting to the bottom of freedom and freedom rights.

The freedom prize awarded by the city of Memmingen is a reminder of how deep the roots go: the history of the struggle against oppression, the history of the struggle for freedom and human rights in Europe does not just begin in 1789 with the French Revolution, it begins more than 250 years earlier;

it begins in Memmingen in 1525 with the Twelve Articles of the rebellious peasants, who referred to the gospel.” Fundamental and human rights were formulated that early for the first time.

That was and is spectacular.

“The Twelve Articles were the draft for a constitution with a fundamental and human rights force that was not written until 1848.

Dean Christoph Schieder also recalled the year 1525, when peasant wars had been raging in Germany for a year, costing more than 70,000 lives in the end.

"Back then, the Swabian peasantry didn't take up arms, they spoke up.

Not the sharp sword, but the pointed pen should express their demands.

The farmers relied on the power of the word.

In order for such creative, powerful words to permeate our world, we need people who are courageous and witty in their search for them, who use them to provoke and stimulate in a level-headed manner.”

prantl.

The director of the Landestheater Schwaben, Dr.

Kathrin Mädler then read out the Twelve Articles of the Swabian Farmers.

Herbert Müller, Chairman of the Board of Trustees "12 Farmers' Articles - Memminger Freedom Prize 1525", recalled that the farmers did not just put their demands and goals on paper and decided them.

Rather, they have described freedom in such a way that freedom means taking responsibility for the weak, paying attention to others and that this does not lead to the restriction of one's own freedom.

Based on the gospel, they wanted dialogue as the solution and response to violence, not victory on the battlefield.

The Twelve Articles, Müller went on to say, warn us today to build on a common set of values ​​such as the United Nations Charter of Human Rights,

to search for solutions to overcome death, destruction and aggression.

"The Twelve Farmer's Articles are a good piece of German history, uncomfortable, but we can be proud of them."

Manfred Schilder also informed about the plan of the city of Memmingen to set up a foundation in view of the 500th anniversary of the drafting of the outdoor article in 2025.

"The purpose of the foundation should be, firstly, to commemorate the writing of the Twelve Articles and to transfer their meaning to the present day, secondly, to preserve the Kramerzunft monument and, thirdly, to promote the participation of all in the community while preserving our constitutional and freedom rights.” The mayor invited the citizens of the city of Memmingen and the surrounding area to participate in the foundation and its sustainable work for freedom and justice.

Finally, Schilder thanked the Memmingen entrepreneurial family Brey, who donated the prize money for the Memmingen Freedom Prize.

The awarding of the Freedom Prize was musically accompanied by church music director Hans-Eberhard Roß on the organ and by the St. Martin Wind Choir under the direction of Rolf Spitz.

After the event in St. Martin's Church, Prof. Dr.

Heribert Prantl and Prof. Dr.

Norbert Lammert in the guild room of the Kramerzunft in the golden book of the city of Memmingen.

The speeches from the Church of St. Martin were repeated at the wine market, but in part with current references.

Political events in some of our neighboring countries were highlighted and the importance of freedom of the press was reminded.

Because “freedom of the press is the bread of democracy”.

List of rubrics: © Rainer Becker