Berlin 10 October 2024
On 10 October 2024, the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Memorial and the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe invited to the opening of the exhibition “The Disavowed. Victims of National Socialism 1933 – 1945 – Today” at the Rhineland-Palatinate State Representation in Berlin.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth emphasized in her welcome address: “So-called ‘career criminals’ and so-called ‘asocials’ were not recognized as victims of National Socialism for far too long. It was not until 2020 that the German Bundestag called on the federal government to end the stigmatization of these victim groups and bring them more into public awareness. One result of this resolution is this exhibition, The Disavowed. The life stories we encounter here pose important questions to us: By what criteria do we judge people? What prejudices influence our legal system? What values do the victims of Nazi justice convey to us? My special thanks go to Frank Nonnenmacher, who, together with his initiative group, broke the silence and successfully brought this issue into the political sphere.”
Mascha Krink, Daniel Haberlah, Levinia Stevens, and Liane Lieske traveled to Berlin for the opening. In front of more than 300 guests, they spoke about their families, as well as the social and political relevance of the exhibition: “Remembering the past to understand the present and shape the future.”
Prof. Dr. Frank Nonnenmacher, also a family member and the first chairman of the Association for the Remembrance of the Disavowed Victims of National Socialism (vevon), spoke about the persecution of his uncle and the initiative that led to the Bundestag resolution. He stated:
“For over 75 years, the Nazi victims marked with the green and black ‘triangle’ were considered justly persecuted by the Nazis. The recognition by the German Bundestag in 2020 was an important signal for us, the relatives of those persecuted. This exhibition is a first step, but further steps must follow to grant the victims and their families the ‘appropriate place’ in the culture of remembrance, as called for in the Bundestag resolution. A central memorial would be a necessary next step.”
