Berlin (Germany), Nov. 16 (LaPresse) – “We are in this solemn hall to remember the fallen, the victims of war and violence. Fallen into the abysses of history, into the traps set by other men. The lives of people, of peoples, of nations, are full of stumbles and tragedies. Sometimes due to individual choices, more often because of deliberate actions by others. World War I left at least 16 million dead on the ground, half of whom were civilians, in addition to twenty million wounded and mutilated. World War II, extended to the Pacific front, is estimated to have seen seventy million deaths. The victims, country by country, are staggering. And it must be remembered that these are not numbers, but people. How is it possible that all this could happen and now threatens to recur? How many more deaths will be needed before we stop seeing war as a tool to resolve disputes between states, using it to arbitrarily dominate other peoples?” This was said by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in his speech to the Bundestag for the National Day of Mourning. “'Nie wieder.' 'Never again.' It is the expression adopted by the international community to condemn the Jewish Holocaust. Opposed to 'Nie wieder' is 'wieder': 'again.' This is what we are witnessing. War again. Racism again. Great inequalities again. Violence again. Aggression again,” Mattarella added.
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