2023-05-07 13:09:29
International commemoration and liberation ceremony Mauthausen under the topic civil courage
Vienna (OTS) – People have always shown civil courage and stood up for others. This was especially dangerous during the Nazi terror regime. “Therefore, this topic is very appropriate for the commemoration and liberation ceremony. Standing up for others must never be a crime, but must be a task for all of us,” says Moritz Mittermann, Federal Youth Chairman of the Middle School Cartel Association (MKV).
It is unimaginable what people had to experience back then, especially many MKVers. Today there are almost no contemporary witnesses, which is one of the reasons why the culture of remembrance is becoming increasingly important. According to Thomas Weickenmeier, chairman of the MKV, no place in Austria stands as much for the crimes of the National Socialists as the former Mauthausen concentration camp. He adds: “For us Catholic Couleur students, Leopold Figl is the example at the center of commemoration on this day.” Figl was a member of a total of 14 MKV associations. Due to his tireless commitment to our Austria, Figl was transferred from the Nazis to the Dachau concentration camp on March 12, 1938 with the first so-called ‘celebrity transport’. Even following his release in 1943, he continued to work for our home country of Austria, which is why he was imprisoned once more and transferred to the Mauthausen concentration camp. “His actions show that there are people who, despite all threats and violence, are willing to risk and even sacrifice their lives for their faith and especially for their fellow human beings,” says Weickenmeier.
The MKV has been taking part in the liberation and commemoration ceremonies in the former Mauthausen concentration camp every year for over 40 years. “We must not give room to exclusion, hatred and, above all, anti-Semitism. Instead, we are all required to look out for each other and show moral courage,” says 20-year-old Mittermann.
Numerous MKVers were among the victims of the National Socialists. A total of over 700 Catholic Couleur students were persecuted by the National Socialists, and at least 36 were murdered. There is a commemorative plaque for them in Mauthausen. On this one can read: “In memory of our federal brothers who sacrificed their lives for Austria in the concentration camps.”
Questions & contact:
Middle School Cartel Association
Matthew Zagler
Press officer
+4369910633696
presse@mkv.at
www.mkv.at
1683466098
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