German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) opened the “Weekend for Democracy” in Berlin on Saturday. The opening took place in front of a street barricade made of wooden objects piled high, meant to symbolize the struggles of the March Revolution of 1848 in Berlin.
“Brave women and men took to the streets and literally to the barricade for a democratic society,” Giffey said. She recalled the role of women in the struggle for democracy in Berlin at the time, such as Lucie Lenz and Louise Aston.
“But we also know that women around the world fight for their rights every day. The fight doesn’t always reach our ears.” The regime in Iran is trying to “nip protests for freedom rights in the bud with brute force.” Solidarity is important for democratic freedom, explained Giffey and reminded women who are looking for protection in Germany because of the war in Ukraine.
“Above all, democracy needs committed citizens who are committed, committed to and defend this democracy time and time again,” emphasized Federal President Steinmeier. The March Revolution provided important impetus for democracy in Germany. “Freedom of the press and of opinion, individual freedoms of every kind, the right to assemble, all of this stems from that time.”
March 18, 1848 is considered an important point in the revolution of 1848/49. The events paved the way for the first written constitution of the then Prussian state. On the day, numerous people had gathered in front of the Berlin Palace – in anticipation of a reaction from the king to previously submitted demands. Two shots set off a barricade fight that quickly engulfed the city center. More than 250 people died.
Throughout the weekend there are numerous events, exhibitions, guided tours and art installations in Berlin that commemorate the March Revolution. The pop artist Jim Avignon has set up ten figures between Friedrichstrasse and the Humboldt Forum to commemorate the participants in the revolution.
On the way from figure to figure, walkers can read background stories about the individual people via a mobile phone app. The path begins near the Gendarmenmarkt at the street barricade on Jägerstraße and heads towards Unter den Linden.
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