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Commemoration of victory over the Nazis shouldn’t be linked to the continuing navy motion in Ukraine, Berlin authorities say
Public shows of Russian and Ukrainian flags will probably be banned at 15 memorial websites in Berlin, together with the long-lasting Soviet WWII memorial within the Treptower Park, throughout Victory Day celebrations on Could 8 and 9, town’s inside ministry has stated on Friday. The transfer has sparked controversy after some German media and politicians, in addition to the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, have deemed the choice “scandalous.”
The concept behind the ban was that “commemoration of Germany’s liberation from Nationwide Socialism on Could 8 and 9 1945 have to be clearly separated from the state of affairs in Could 2022,” Berlin’s inside ministry stated on Saturday, referring to the continuing Russian navy motion in Ukraine.
It is very important “stop any confrontation” on the memorial websites commemorating each “Russian and Ukrainian” troopers who died combating the Nazis, it added, based on the German media. The transfer was initially introduced by the Berlin police and sparked an outcry from politicians and the media.
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Germany’s Bild tabloid got here out with a narrative on Saturday claiming that “Berlin bans Ukraine’s flags in the course of the commemoration of the top of the World Warfare II.” The transfer was additionally sharply criticized by the Ukrainian envoy to Berlin, Andrey Melnik, who referred to as the choice “scandalous” and urged the mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, to roll it again.
The outspoken diplomat, who’s himself no stranger to controversy, has denounced the choice as “a slap within the face” of Ukraine and its individuals. Melnik instantly acquired help from some German political circles. Kai Wegner, the pinnacle of former chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU social gathering workplace in Berlin, additionally called on Giffey to reverse her “painfully mistaken” determination and argued that “the Ukrainian flag stands for the battle for freedom.”
A neighborhood MP, Tobias Bauschke, additionally stated that the “colours of Ukraine are colours of freedom” and accused the Berlin authorities of betraying “all our values” by banning the Ukrainian flag. No German officers or media retailers publicly opposed the concept of banning Russian flag.
Following the outcry, the Berlin police clarified the foundations associated to the Victory Day celebrations, saying that public shows of the Ukrainian flag are “usually permitted” within the metropolis on Could 8 and 9. Its show will nonetheless solely be restricted on the particular memorial websites.
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The restrictions is not going to be utilized to diplomats and “different privileged individuals, together with company invited to commemoration [ceremonies organized] by embassies” the police have said, including that “these teams of individuals” would be capable of carry the Ukrainian flags at any memorial websites.
In accordance with the media, Berlin authorities have additionally positioned further restrictions on what they described as “pro-Russian occasions” scheduled to be held within the metropolis on Could 8 and 9. No “public approval” of what Berlin calls “a conflict of aggression towards Ukraine” could be permitted wherever within the metropolis, they’ve stated.
No stylized navy uniforms and even “elements of the uniform” could be allowed on the memorial websites, the police have stated, banning any “marching or navy songs” there as nicely. The ‘Z’ image related in Russia with the help for the navy motion in Ukraine could be prohibited as nicely, legislation enforcement officers have added.
The event comes because the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst, devoted to German-Soviet relations and sponsored collectively by Germany, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, determined to drop the reference to Russia in its identify.
The choice was taken in protest towards Russia’s actions in Ukraine, its director, Jorg Morre, instructed the German media earlier this week. The museum is housed within the constructing the place Hitler’s forces signed Germany’s unconditional give up on the evening of Could 8-9, 1945, ending the conflict in Europe.
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