Germany remembers Allied firebombing of Dresden 70 years on

Seventy years after the Allies firebombed the east German city of Dresden, Germany remembered the tens of thousands who were burned alive with a somber church service and a silent human chain to symbolize peace and opposition to racism. At the Baroque domed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), bells rag out as a service started with delegates from other cities that suffered massive air attacks - Coventry, Breslau, Ostrava and St. Petersburg - lighting candles for peace. Some survivors of the bombing attended. Around 10,000 people joined hands along the Elbe river and across bridges. While

February 13, more than any other date in the history of our city, warns us that we must show solidarity with those who flee war, violence and terror around the world.

Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz

Dresden has been the scene of some of Europe’s biggest neo-Nazi marches on Feb. 13 in recent years, right-wing activists were noticeably absent on Friday. Antifascists gathered on the square outside the church carrying a green banner urging people to “Fight for a humane society. Take action against the Nazis”. Dresden has recently become the center of an anti-Islam movement that has seen as many as 25,000 protesting against what they see as the growing influence of Islam.

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