As of: April 7, 2024, 7:00 p.m
By: Peter Herrmann
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Positioning against the right: Around 60 people took part in the “Together for Democracy and Diversity” cycling rally to the Death March Memorial in Buchberg. The event was initiated by Lucia Schmidt (right). © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
A bike tour unites generations against right-wing extremism. The place where they gather has a special meaning.
Gelting
- On Friday evening, several groups of cyclists approached the Death March Memorial in Buchberg from different directions. Before initiator Lucia Schmidt from the “Together for Democracy and Diversity” alliance welcomed the around 60 participants there, the demonstrators met at six meeting points.
Participants cycle together to the meeting point
Martin Lorenz, who organized the alliance's first protest march in Wolfratshausen's old town in February, waited with his two daughters at the Marienbrunnen for fellow cyclists. Michael Bendl, among others, followed his call. “I only recently moved to Wolfratshausen and want to show my colors,” said the new resident combatively. Behind a waving peace and rainbow flag, the small group finally set off out of town.
Pensioner Resi Harth (right in the rickshaw) let a poster do the talking. © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
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Meanwhile, city councilor Dr. Hans Schmidt (Greens) with other like-minded people. On the other hand, Dr. Sybille Krafft suggested walking the approximately one kilometer long path from the memorial site to the Death March Memorial with members of the “Citizens for the Waldram-Föhrenwald Bathhouse” association. Hans Gärtner from Wolfratshausen cycled past them with a trailer on which he was transporting an amplifier and his guitar. In Geretsried, pensioner Resi Harth pedaled her full rickshaw hard to get to the rally on time.
“Despisers of democracy spread their poison”
In her opening speech, Lucia Schmidt once again made clear the need to continue rallies and demonstrations against right-wing extremism. During her childhood, her father encouraged her and her siblings to watch documentaries about the Holocaust. “Now they are back again, the despisers of democracy who spread their poison in countless ways and channels,” warned Schmidt. Afterwards, the demonstrators sang a protest song accompanied by Hans Gärtner's guitar. The refrain “Defend yourselves, resist fascism here in the country, stick together” could still be clearly heard from afar despite the noise of cars on the nearby B11.
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Former Bundestag member Andreas Wagner recalled similar developments in the dark past. © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
It is important to be vigilant and protect democracy
Andreas Wagner from Geretsried has a special connection to the Death March Memorial. The former Bundestag member of the Left, who is now a member of the SPD, has written a book about the ordeal of concentration camp prisoners who also passed Gelting in the last days of the war in April 1945. Some of the forced laborers were temporarily housed in the barracks of what was then the Buchberg camp, opposite today's Geretsried town hall on Böhmwiese, and were finally liberated by American soldiers on May 1, 1945. According to Wagner, the memorial on the cycle path is a reminder of “where nationalism, militarism and allowing anti-democrats to go can lead”. It is all the more important that people remain vigilant and protect democracy even 79 years later. It is important to take action and “dry out the breeding ground for right-wing extremist ideas”.
In keeping with the cycle rally, Lucia Schmidt finally recited a poem written in 1946 by the poet Nelly Sachs. “We who have been saved ask you: Slowly show us your sun. “Leads us from star to star in step,” it says – lines that undoubtedly have a very current reference to the reception of refugees.
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