CAMPAIGN REPORT

Commemorations in more than 28 countries in Europe
Linked through UNITED, the European network against racism, more than 500 organisations from all European countries work together. UNITED coordinated the activities around 9 November on a European level, it initiated and inspired action, provided information and campaign material. Post cards and posters have supported the actions of campaigners from Finland to Croatia and from Portugal to Russia. Through continuously updated lists of activities (on Internet and on paper) journalists and campaigners have been provided with overviews of activities and contact addresses.

On 9 November protesters have assembled in many of the bigger towns in Europe. In Sweden torches have been lit, as a symbol for the engagement of a large part of Swedish society to diversity. In more than eleven towns in the Netherlands vigils have been held and debates have been started. In Great-Britain the commemoration was the start of a national Refugee Week. In Poland special concerts marked the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism. In many cities and towns around Germany public commemoration meetings have taken place.

For many in Europe the commemoration of the "Kristallnacht" pogrom of 9 November has a deeper meaning than just looking back.
Although the campaign sees big differences between the governments of today and the one in Nazi Germany, it is easy to compare certain aspects of our situation to the situation in 1938. Refugees have nowhere to turn to. Violence against minorities is becoming commonplace, especially against Roma. The extreme right is gaining power in the democratic arena. And through all these trends, anti-Semitism is raising its ugly head.

Through massive e-mail protests against the Croatian and Yugoslav government NGOs have shown their solidarity with NGOs in those countries. Authoritarianism hinders the development of independent NGOs, independent media and democratic opposition.
Especially on 9 November, when we remember what anti-democratic powers can lead up to, protest has been appropriate.

"KRISTALLNACHT" POGROM
On 9 November, named the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, we commemorate the "Kristallnacht" pogrom of 1938. On November 6th, Herschel Grynszpan, a Jew who was angry with the increasingly repressive measures being adopted in Germany against Jews, took revenge by shooting the diplomat Ernst vom Rath at the German embassy in Paris. The diplomat died two days later and news of his death reached Germany on Novermber 9th. This started a massive nation-wide pogrom, secretly organised by a section of the Nazi party, which left many Jews dead in the streets, and hundreds of Jewish businesses and synagogues destroyed. It marked the beginning of the Holocaust, the systematic murder of 6 million Jews, over a million Roma and Sinti, gay people as well as communists, trade unionists and many others.

CAMPAIGN REPORT 1998
This report only shows a small selection of the events that took place, compiled from reports, press cuttings, photographs, posters and leaflets sent to the UNITED secretariat by the participating organisations. Please note that the accompanying texts refer only to those reports. Of course, many other actions took place in those and other countries too. Unfortunately we are not able to report on those.
Many organisations have contributed to the campaign in a modest way, by spreading press releases or notes to all addresses in their database or they have sent protest letters to the Croatian and Yugoslav authorities.

9 NOVEMBER 1999
Next year there will be another International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism. Themes will include "resistance against exclusion". If you have suggestions, if you would like to be kept informed or you plan to contribute to the campaign: Let us know!

GERMANY
"We look ahead without forgetting what happened" - Bundeskanzler Schröder
In Germany 9 November was commemorated both by the authorities and non-governmental organisations. Official commemorations included a special service with a.o. Bundeskanzler Schröder and Ignatz Bubis of the Central Jewish Council. In several former concentration camps special activities took place. In Mühlhausen a synagogue was consecrated and in Dresden the building of a new synagogue was begun. Less official commemorations included a demonstration against "denial and looking away" in Erfurt, a demonstration in Aachen and thematically debates in many smaller towns. Concern was expressed for everyday racism and institutionalised racism.

CROATIA
"Antifascism is not left or right, it is an achievement of civilisation." - DPHR
In Croatia extreme nationalist ideas are very much present in society. The Centre for Direct Protection of Human Rights (DPHR) organised, together with other organisations, a whole series of activities. The subject of 9 November was promoted during an NGO-fair, a special radio fair, a television show, a press conference and a special commemoration at the anti-fascist "Dotrscina" monument. One of the demands at this meeting was the protection of the remaining anti-fascist monuments in Croatia. UNITED worked with Croatian organisations to organise protest e-mails around the nationalism of the Croatian authorities.

FRANCE
Exhibition and Television Broadcast
In France a special exhibition has been inaugurated and will continue to be open until November 1999. It describes the events around 9 November 1938, including the closing of the borders of almost all European states to Jewish refugees. A general fear existed in 1938 that Jews would flood the countries around Germany.
Human Rights Multimedia, a non-governmental organisation has prepared a special television show around "Kristallnacht", with contributions from many of the most actively involved NGOs around Europe. The contacts were made through UNITED.

SPAIN
"Kristallnacht, just a historical fact to remember?"
The Basque organisations Gipuzkoako SOS Arrazakeria organised a special meeting around the commemoration of "Kristallnacht" and the meaning of this event today. This meeting was part of their series of meetings around "the Image of the Other".

LATVIA
Nazi war criminals are honoured, anti-fascist partisans are persecuted
On 9 November the Latvian Human Rights Committee protested near the walls of the "Matisa" jail, where a partisan anti-fascist is held on charges of war crimes. His group has supposedly killed civilians during the Second World War. In Latvia only the war crimes (if they are such) of anti-fascists have been persecuted. The day of the creation of the Latvian SS legion, however, has been ratified as the official "Memorial Day of Latvian Warriors".
Solidarity of anti-fascists all over Europe is badly needed.

CZECHIA
"What lacks is the support of the majo-rity of society" - Fed. of Czech Jewish Communities
Czechia was confronted with a new wave of anti-Semitic and xenophobic acts around 9 November. Several Jewish monuments were attacked. The Federation of Czech Jewish Communities has appealed once again to the Prague government to launch a crackdown on such violence against Jews and Roma.
To counter the widespread prejudice against Jews, the organisation "Friends of the City of Duchcov" has organised public meetings as well as an exhibition around "Kristallnacht".

GREAT BRITAIN
Celebrating the contributions of refugees to our societies
From 9 until 15 November the British Refugee Council organised the Refugee Week. It included several activities around the commemoration of "Kristallnacht". A special service took place in the main London synagogue.
The anti-fascist magazine Searchlight publicised a special issue around the Holocaust and the denial of the Holocaust. In Newcastle a candle lit vigil took place.

POLAND
"Don't let fascists go unpunished!" - Never Again Association
In Poland xenophobic tendencies are very common and neo-nazi skinheads have been known to attack anyone they consider not to be "really Polish". The Never Again Association took the opportunity of the commemoration of "Kristallnacht" to publish an appeal to the Polish government to persecute the racist violence in the country. In several places, among which Katowice, anti-fascist demonstrations marked the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism.

YUGOSLAVIA
The Liga Vojvodanske Omladine from Kovacica organised a public event. On the steps of the Culture House a special cultural programme was devoted to
the commemoration of "Kristallnacht" and the fight against fascism and intolerance.

AUSTRIA
"Never forget..."
In Vienna, Graz and other places commemorations were organised by the authorities, by the Jewish communities and by anti-fascist organisations. In Austria, as in Germany, almost all synagogues were destroyed in 1938. The Austrian Bundeskanzler Klima led the Council of Ministers in a commemoration and emphasized the need of young people for the skills and knowledge to resist anti-democratic tendencies. The "Revolutionsbräuhof" and other anti-fascist groups organised a commemoration at the old train station in Vienna, from where thousands of Jews had been deported during the Second World War. At the place of the old synagogue a large statue was erected, to commemorate the lost neighbourhood.

ITALY
A.R.I. from Rieti has taken the initiative to make an inventory of who does what in Italy around the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism. Questionnaires have been sent out, as well as stickers and posters to promote the campaign. A.R.I. aims to cooperate with other organisations to make the anti-racist movement stronger in Italy.

PORTUGAL
The youth association "Olho Vivo" has taken up the subject of the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism and the commemoration of "Kristallnacht" as the topic for several educational activities. Special courses took place in high schools on 9 and 10 November.

ROMANIA
Action on all levels: symbolic, educational, engaging...
In Galati, in Cluj, in Oradea and in Bucharest several activities took place to commemorate the "Kristallnacht". Youth Action for Peace-Romania initiated many of these activities, as well as the student organisation "Dunarea de Jos". 100.000 special stamped enveloped were issued, and the post offices in Galati and Bucharest stamped the mail with the UNITED campaign logo. In Oradea a local radio show organised a special broadcast and the Jewish Community co-organised a meeting in the synagogue. In Cluj 9 November was taken as an opportunity to do research around xenophobia and racism among young people by conducting polls and distributing questionnaires. Round tables around the fate of Romanian Jews during the Second World War and on ways to educate youth against discrimination involved a variety of youth organisations.

NETHERLANDS
"One thousand times 'Never Again' is not enough" - J.S. Leyton, refugee from Chili
In more than eleven cities commemorations took place. In Amsterdam, the chair of the Council of Churches, minister Grandia criticised the refugee politics of today in the light of what happened in 1938. A discussion on minorities in the media followed the commemoration. Refugees in Tilburg explained why they had to flee. They explained how fascism can sneak up on you, like a thief in the night. In Zeeland the plight of homosexuals during the Second World War was taken up as one (controversial) topic of the commemoration. In Delft, the local rabbi told the audience, that the fight of today does not give meaning to "Kristallnacht", it will always remain a meaningless and senseless act of violence. Most speakers in all eleven cities agreed on the fact that again people are turned away, who need protection. The real danger is less in openly extreme-
right movements, but in this general intolerance, this closedness.

BELGIUM
"Where were the moral forces of the world? Where was God?" - D. Süsskind (CCOJB)
The Coordination Committee of Jewish Organisations in Belgium (CCOJB) had organised a special commemorative trip to Auschwitz. Politicians of all democratic parties from all parts of Belgium joined with survivors and the children of victims of the Shoah to visit the places of horror. Soon a law will have to be voted on the reimbursement of victims of the war, including those who collaborated with the Nazi regime. No Belgian politics were discussed during the voyage, but CCOJB hoped to have made the politicians think twice before casting their votes. In other places in Belgium smaller gatherings commemorated "Kristallnacht". In Antwerp, Charleroi and Liège the topics of the meeting were the exclusion of undocumented people in our societies, the attacks on homosexuals, leftists and migrants in Belgium during the past months and the position of women in Afghanistan.

FINLAND
"Fascism has no nationality" - N. Sineaeva (HCA-Moldova Youth Organisation)
Together with the Anti-fascist Democratic Alliance the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly of Moldova organised several activities to commemorate "Kristallnacht" and to raise awareness about intolerance in Moldova today. A round table discussion especially addressed the role of the mass media in spreading intolerance. Schools had been engaged before in an essay competition. The award ceremony took place on 9 November. The best essays and poems were published in newspapers in Russian and Romanian. On the streets leaflets were distributed and a special brochure about the
Holocaust and the Second World War was handed out as well.

MOLDOVA
"Fascism has no nationality" - N. Sineaeva (HCA-Moldova Youth Organisation)
Together with the Anti-fascist Democratic Alliance the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly of Moldova organised several activities to commemorate "Kristallnacht" and to raise awareness about intolerance in Moldova today. A round table discussion especially addressed the role of the mass media in spreading intolerance. Schools had been engaged before in an essay competition. The award ceremony took place on 9 November. The best essays and poems were published in newspapers in Russian and Romanian. On the streets leaflets were distributed and a special brochure about the
Holocaust and the Second World War was handed out as well.

Up

UNITED for Intercultural Action
European network against nationalism, racism, fascism
and in support of migrants and refugees
Postbus 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone +31-20-6834778, fax +31-20-6834582
info@unitedagainstracism.org, www.unitedagainstracism.org