Fédération Internationale des Résistants

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Fédération Internationale des Résistants (FIR), logo.gif
Obelisk with the sign of the FIR on the Heidefriedhof in Dresden

The Fédération Internationale des Résistants ( FIR ; German International Federation of Resistance Fighters ) - Association Antifasciste is the international umbrella organization of associations of anti-fascist resistance fighters against the Nazi regime , based in Berlin . Ulrich Schneider is the general secretary.

history

The FIR was founded in May 1951 in Vienna with the aim of creating a world without fascism and war . The forerunner of the organization was the FIAPP (Federation internationale des anciens prisioniers politiques) founded in 1947. During the Cold War , government authorities referred to it as a communist-influenced organization. As an international non-governmental organization, it is “Ambassador for Peace” to the United Nations . At the turn of the year 2004 the FIR moved its headquarters from Vienna to Berlin. The Federal Spokesman of the VVN / BdA , Ulrich Schneider , was elected Secretary General .

Member organizations

FIR memorial for the Mathildenstrasse detention center in Dresden during the National Socialist era.
Inscription: “At this point was the 'Mathildenstrasse' prison. From 1933 to 1945 thousands of Germans and Czechoslovaks resisted the fascist terror. "
Congress of the FIR: GDR postage stamp from 1982

The association includes over 50 organizations from 25 European countries, Israel and Chile. These include veteran associations of anti- fascist and partisan struggles, associations of fighters of the anti-Hitler coalition, international camp communities of former concentration camps as well as organizations in the tradition of anti-fascist resistance and anti-fascists of today's generations.

The VVN / BdA took over the organization office within the umbrella organization FIR.

In Germany, the following organizations are or were members:

In France, in addition to various Amicales (prisoners' associations ), the FIR members include the Association Nationale des Anciens Combattants de la Résistance (ANACR) and Association Nationale des Cheminots Anciens Combattants (ANCAC).

The associations with the largest number of members are the "Russian Union of Veterans", the Italian partisan organization ANPI and the Serbian veterans organization SUBNOR.

Organizational matters

For the IX. The 1982 FIR congress in East Berlin issued the GDR's Deutsche Post special postage stamps and a first day cover . The envelope bears the imprint: “Never again war and fascism - IX. Congress of the International Federation of Resistance Fighters in Berlin, capital of the GDR . "

From 13-14 November 2004 took place in Berlin the XIII. ordinary congress of the FIR. A new statute was adopted with which members of today's generations, who are committed to the political concerns of the resistance fighters and the persecuted, can become members of the FIR. The Belgian Michel Vanderborght (died in September 2010) became president .

In May 2006, FIR and the GUE / NGL parliamentary group held the “60 + 1 Years: Antifascism in Europe” congress in the European Parliament . On 13./14. In June 2007 she organized a meeting with young people in the European Parliament in Brussels at the invitation of the socialist and social democratic group PSE.

From 19th to 20th In October 2007 the XIV Ordinary Congress took place in Athens. Together with the Institute des Vétérans (Belgium) and the International Buchenwald-Dora and Commands Committee , an international youth meeting was held in Weimar at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial in April 2008. Over 1000 young people from all parts of Europe took part in this meeting. At the final rally, camp survivors, representatives of the Belgian government and the President of FIR Michel Vanderborght spoke. Young people renewed Buchenwald's oath in 20 languages ​​and took on the obligation to preserve the legacy.

On January 9th and 10th 2010 the XV. ordinary congress. The President of the World Federation of Veterans' Associations (FMAC - Fédération Mondiale des Anciens Combattants) also spoke to the delegates . The congress decided to hold another international youth meeting in May 2012, this time at the Auschwitz Memorial. Over 1000 young people from all over Europe took part in this meeting.

The XVI Ordinary Congress was held in Sofia on October 5 and 6, 2013. For the first time in decades, representatives of the Italian and Czech veterans and anti-fascist associations took part. President was Vilmos Hanti (Hungary) elected unanimously. Vice-presidents come from Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia.

From November 18 to 20, 2016, the XVII. ordinary congress held. Once again, former member associations have returned to the ranks of the FIR. The congress took stock of the successful work of the past years. For example, the international youth meeting in May 2015 in Auschwitz (“Zug der Tausend”) together with the Belgian “Institut des Vétérans” or the events in almost 20 European countries with the FIR's peace torch (“Torch of FIR”). The president was unanimously re-elected and three vice-presidents from Greece, Italy and Russia were elected.

On 5th / 6th May 2018 the FIR together with the veterans associations of the former Yugoslavia held an anti-fascist Balkan conference with almost 100 participants from all states of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Russia and Hungary. In a joint final declaration, the goal of "a zone of peace, understanding and cooperation" is named for the Balkans.

On 29./30. November 2019 took place in Reggio Emilia (Italy) the XVIII. ordinary congress held. Delegates from 15 nations took part in this conference. Three associations could be welcomed to the ranks of the FIR. The delegates elected an expanded management body in which eight nations, France and Bulgaria, are now represented. The focus of the work was decided on the 75th anniversary of the liberation and the victory over fascism as well as the preparation of the fourth international youth meeting ("Train of the Thousand") in May 2020 at the Auschwitz Memorial.

The FIR has been publishing a quarterly information bulletin FIR - News in German, English and French since 2004 . The FIR Facebook page has been active since 2015 and a weekly FIR newsletter has been distributed electronically to interested parties since spring 2018.

Exhibition "European Resistance Against Nazism 1922-1945"

Since 2013 the FIR and its member associations have been working with a historical exhibition on European resistance. It was developed together with the "Institut des Veteranes" (Brussels) and museums on the history of resistance in various European countries. Opened in summer 2013 in the European Parliament in Brussels in the presence of the Vice-President of the European Parliament, the multilingual exhibition has meanwhile been shown in more than ten European countries. Important exhibition locations in Germany include the Bremen City Hall (January 2015), the "documenta14" in Kassel (2017), the Dietrich-Keuning-Haus in Dortmund (2018), the Thuringian Parliament (2019) and the City Hall in Rostock (2019) .

Michel Vanderborght Prize

The FIR awards the Michel Vanderborght Prize. It is intended to honor those who have distinguished themselves in the spirit of the ideals of anti-fascist resistance for the preservation of historical memory, for the social and political interests of the survivors and for the continuation of the anti-fascist legacy through special engagement against old and new Nazis .

In November 2016, on the occasion of the XVII. FIR Congress awarded the prize for the second time. The German resistance study group 1933–1945 (Frankfurt / M.) Won the award .

In May 2019, the prize was awarded to the Greek communist Lazaros Kiritsis, who was still an old age witness of the anti-fascist struggle of the Democratic Army , and to Ilja Kremer, who was involved in the liberation of Berlin as a member of the Red Army . The Hungarian anti-fascist musician Janos Brody, the Italian journalist Paolo Berizzi, the Belgian Auschwitz Foundation and its President Henri Goldberg and the German initiative Stand up against racism were also honored .

Publications

  • International Federation of Resistance Fighters FIR (Ed.): The FIR in the picture. 1951–1981, Vienna 1982 (in German, French and Russian)
  • Fédération Internationale des Résistants (FIR) - Association Antifasciste 1951–2011 . Red. Dr. Ulrich Schneider, Berlin 2011 (in German, English and French)

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ fir.at
  2. ↑ Facts about international Communist front organizations (1958) . Pp. 85-86, archive.org
  3. ↑ according to his own statement on fir.at

    "An umbrella association of organizations of former resistance fighters, partisans, members of the anti-Hitler coalition, those persecuted by the Nazi regime and anti-fascists of today's generations from over twenty countries in Europe and Israel."

  4. ^ Communist and Post-communist Parties in Europe : Writings of the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarism Research 36, edited by Uwe Backes, Patrick Moreau; Published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008, p. 75.
  5. ^ Source: Michel stamp catalog
  6. ↑ An event report and excerpts from the speeches can be found in No. 12 of the FIR Bulletin (November 2007)
  7. ↑ The FIR is growing again in antifa 11/2013
  8. ↑ The Balkans - a zone of peace, understanding and cooperation
  9. ^ Successful congress of the FIR in Reggio Emilia. In: FIR.at. December 5, 2019, accessed December 13, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Online at https://www.fir.at/fir-bulletin/
  11. ↑ FIR awards eight Michel Vanderborght Prizes in Brussels. For anti-fascist resistance
  12. ^ Anti-fascist signals from Budapest . In: Junge Welt , May 7, 2019