Of peaceful protest same as pivotal in toppling the dictatorship in the form a stalemate on this day in 1989 some 70000 people turned out for marches in the city of lifes ish it was a decisive moment in a chain of events that led to the collapse of east german communism and the fall of the bone and more people held candles and pace fully demanded more freedom and democracy despite the threat of a heavy government crackdown the demonstrations my motto was the people. Well lymans from now german president frank volta on my is due to give a speech commemorating those events lets cross now to leipzig where ceremonies are already underway kate brady is standing by there for us i believe can we hear you kate. Ok 2. I have been listening to good stuff manas symphony number one that to mark the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the protests that really began the end of east germanys political regime and to tell us a bit more ive got simon young data correspondent with me in the studio simon tell us a bit more about these demonstrations because they were demonstrations in. Lots of the country but what made they so important yeah there had been demonstrations elsewhere in east germany running up to this and indeed in the months previously things had begun to look very wobbly for the german system with people leaving the country on mass but on the 9th of october 1909 you had a law its large number of people 70000 people on the streets of light see one of the major cities of course in the country and it was a demonstration people were saying you know we are the people its time for change and these were protests that the news of them got out because a couple of courageous journalists filmed some pictures which were shown on west German Television the next day and everybody in east germany saw west German Television so this was a protest that could no longer be ignored or denied or somehow kept quiet by the german regime and of course. Only a month later the berlin wall itself fell and 70000 people i mean that is was a lot of in a city of 500000 i mean. Extraordinarily large yeah i mean the demonstrations have been growing and you know the organized opposition to communist rule had been getting stronger and louder finding its voice there had long been you know people going to ising socalled peace demonstrations and organizing for instance as it were under the banner of environmental protests but here as you can see on this picture behind us you know a mass of people who really represented a clearly a large measure of opposition to communist rule ok will stay with me but theyd always came brady has met with 2 opposition activists from the former east germany they braved immense risks to type hot in the protest lets take a look. On october 9th 1989 Kathleen Houghton hala was in a stasi prison in light sake in many she was just 20 years old on this they could feel that the guards were nervous and you could hear sounds later in the day close to the evening. That we have to break into that report because president front is currently speaking at the commemorations and were going to go to him live. In and gets no. Decision broke their way this is what it originally has now writes in his you St Nicholas Church and see the way the way of the people who 30 years ago here in life just courageously Administration Still its a graphic novel who says in his novel St Nicholas Church im sure that when any of you have read the novel or something thats going to do to the bulk of money in the year of the g. D. R. Until mr tarling 9th 1989 so you can tell that to him as you know mike we have you just. Marched straight shot at leipsic for free. And nobody wanted to block their way and the nobody dares to. Talk to her and i was taught is that they were graduating german history i am great doesnt hurt to hears and to hear you talking about ordering to celebrate they stay with us is beyond the it is an honor. I think you very much for the invitation. Yeah did i go yes i told her 9th is a grand day in german history. If i dont want to i have to start with today because when i travel in germany. God especially 2 regions that is usually are not at the center are famous and i frequently meet people who are not in much of a myriad for celebration even less so than on the occasion of past any of our summer youth today 30 years after that october 9th i see a strong. So see a you strongly unsettled country you see i see a country work cracks are forming cracks that are reflected there game Election Results in me and already even more in the way. In which we speak about each other and about this country. Issue when i hear about a country form people feel left behind simply ignored by politics and as it is often called the elderly when i hear about a growing gap and thats not only between the east and the west and even also between everyday reality and these between cities and the countryside between new top earners and precarious jobs i hear about young people who feel abandoned by the older generation even betrayed by them. Young people who worry that they are deprived being deprived of the future on this planet i hear about jews who are insulted and attacked i say here that our country has accepted too many refugees and migrants from other cultures and that the feeling of being a stranger in ones own country is growing. But i also hear that its citizens with a migration background feel threatened i hear a nationalist and xenophobic voice is that clearly are becoming more and more attractive and i say you have enough speed to 30 year is after the peaceful revolution and the fall of the wall i hear east germans who feel misunderstood and west germans who are tired of hearing about it and i see a country. That is struggling for cohesion ladies and gentlemen is that our country does he go is that the whole truth about our country then let me tell you this is certainly not the case. Let me ladies and have a land of try to see things differently because when i travel i also need people with Amazing Stories to tell you i listen to their story was i hear stories of new beginnings of success and failure of hopes and deception you see i hear star easy stories of in life so that each for itself do not make history with the bats and the vine by a riot of 82 millions who have left their marks on this country views in because who are we and what is this country even if not most of the some star uses. I am especially impressed by the stars of the season that. They are a force in vast. Task to be took to the streets with. Their immense desire for freedom and democracy that became evident in the peaceful revolution is that were. Back and i was uprooting over my doctoral thesis is in a little room in the attic of the university of gleason but i understood the desire and to move i admired the car each of the many people here but did i have an idea or a dream i did here im thinking about how much our age was required to how much she really took to turn initial demonstration exhibit into a beginning that turned into a revolution in the peaceful revolutionaries met many of them had met long before 989 in churches and private apartments they fought against by mental pollution and decay they struggled for more participation and equality they fought for freedom of opinion and movement and free elections and they dreamed of a peaceful and united europe they founded environmentalists reuse and printed pamphlets. They wrote resolutions and open letters. Many of their ideas mags found their way into the. New constitution that was developed later at the round table dominates house back then. As people in the light sic tell me over and over again i know. There was an incredible atmosphere of optimism but if you listen closely. Then you do not only hear stories about new beginnings and valor and these talk also about doubts and fear. Being fear of despotism and persecution violence sometimes actual violence sometimes threatened violence is a permanent shadow cast over families and friends if you can. Also remember the many victim of these despotism and suppression suppression we must not forget them on this october night. Thank. You but then you to my house and this fall 30 years ago something astonishing happened. Fear switched sides. And you feel it became 1st it happened in a plow and on october 7th and 2 days later. While another and people from pa and i here apparently 2 days later on october 9th hearing light sig its far more than 70000. 00 people gathered for peace prayers and be a largest monday duncombe strace in until then despises to defeat a chinese solution that had been mentioned several months after the last aircraft tiananmen despite not knowing if the su dear regime what crushed the proper tests best they can join that is you have to be as easy as you have prevented a western journalist from coming to light. The food making good and prevents footage secretly filmed by sikh bad can i remember doms coming from the tower of the reformed church to be smuggled to the west. In the aftermath of october 9th these images flickered across the screens in many living rooms and many sensed in the west and in the east that in the g. D. R. Something had to Gain Momentum that was unstoppable the fear had switched sides and after is based 9th of october and leipzig. In the g. D. R. Nothing was as it had been before many of the car you just people are here with us cut him out of all charges you know all of mans an innocent columnar. B. S. Hall its are and. The relatives of court mazhar are also here. For us and we are will speak for them in a minute it is great to have all of you here to. Day. You could see your stars have made german democratic history and you stand in the best tradition of our history in the tradition of the german freedom movements of 848982 and use your star in all this our extraordinary starry ways of moments of glories of our countrymen they have added an important piece to the history of our democracy and feet because of its them even as you see peaceful revolutionaries we owe you our respect also our gratitude from the east and from the way. Your so done then my. Gratitude because ladies and gentlemen limited wall did not come tumbling down by itself the people of the g. D. R. Made it tumble down peaceful and islands before the autumn of revolution there had been a summer of 198900 so if i was unjust citizen of the g. D. R. Left everything behind in search for freedom and they found. They knew also where part of the great change their stories also made history feel with and. Many of the stories have not been told completely and some have not even being fully heard 30 years after the reunification the time has come to make them these east german stories part of our common german we. Exude using decision to do in the hearts. The starry uses are the stories of our european neighborhoods the apoc maybe can change that we come right with our celebration today would not have been possible without the struggle for freedom of our east german neighbors. Employed not employ one of the people had stood up already against dictatorship and unfreedom mass protests and strikes the foundation of the lead our National Round table despite all setbacks but democrats say she was im stoppable. He said and barks bred to other countries to hungary that in the spring of 1989 opened its border is. The. Former czechoslovakia and what happened in Eastern Europe also encouraged the people in the g. D. R. To this new view and today we know you can see that history could have taken a different course if in the crambo make algarve a chance had not decided not to send troops. If garbage chop had not asked the s. O. G. Of its leadership to refrain from violence if the best strong ally is had not agreed to the german youre in if you cation and ladies and gentlemen the gift of german reunification we must not forget that it is an equivalent with europe growing together and the new trust that our neighbor. Or is it that have placed in us after their disasters of the 20 century this is something that we germans must be grateful for. It is not only about grateful in this known us germany this we bear a special responsibility for the success of this peaceful and united europe. And it is unique in the history of this continent and we bear this responsibility ladies and gentlemen in the future as well and we take it particularly serious as time is more. Trying to drive europe apart and this promise belongs to todays young and you personally. Thank. God more funding. But if you only speak about the moments of lauris the change of the stays you cant possibly possibly grasp all the stories that characterize our country that still have an effect and will have an effect in the future because german unity was an immense task and it demanded much from the people in our country those in the west as well but more than anything the people in the east because they have mastered changes his mind again to an extent. That my generation in the west has never seen and this is an Outstanding Achievement this is also part of call memory tingles that has not been made strip used to for a long time most people in the west have experienced the change from afar and many believe that in a united germany everything would go on as usual. We saw that was already that that a misjudgment in the west has not the main the same after unification and i say this the united germany is lucky that this is the case. This is beautiful and to do in this region united germany is characterized by many incentives coming from the east good incentives to be on the jury and you will. See dear regime had established a dictatorship because it and it had brought fear and violence into the society and. There were incentives and a momentum and common from the human reality of eastern germany if i may say so in some aspects was resistive and unconventional yes modern and progressive i am thinking about the 100 role of women and i am thinking about a dense social infrastructure often child care or medical Care Concepts that are partially being rediscovered today and indeed it is no coincidence that it is east german women amongst others who have shaped and changed our reunited germany. To this god of course there were many people in the west as well who wanted to do something west germans who were curious who wanting to help know we building in the east who went to the new lender not only because they wanted to make a career but because they wanted to be part of the change because they wanted to shape the to germany and many of. Them found not only exciting challenges but also a new home and the one thing is certain rooms in eastern germany changed heat people significantly harder than in the west because the changed every Single Family companies were shut down millions of people lost their jobs or had to be retrained the parents were worried how they would feed their families in the future and the especially the young people often did not see any kind of perspective and left for the west and this locks the ninetys and one has left deep marks in some places and some places and tire generation mills are missing i often hear stories about dislocation about broken certainties and today what we know and how could it be different if not through the me that of course not everything was without an alternative as you mr cruncher i have said the companies were shut down and the question of the constitution was raised in the field intentional and more often than not unintentional mistakes were made and we have to talk about them when we have to correct them this is the task of politics and it is a task that even after 30 years it has lost nothing on one hand in importance for example taking a look at some rural areas only elderly people have remained and with the young people who are spoke to enslave and here we need a political solution for functioning infrastructure for good Living Conditions do not believe being alone with their fear is and means let us take their problems seriously take care and do something for child care conduct arns in School Connections on the firefighters. Made a wadi of sterile practitioners of labor perspectives and Internet Connections because it is small tasks that for the big one. The idea of seeing yesterday decades after the year and if occasion were difficult the years off changes and adapt haitians and we can feel the effects until today and all the more amazing it is. To take a look at the courage and the pragmatism and the energy with which east germans tackled the challenges and mastered them when i travel and east germany i mean people who have rebuilt comedown cities and stopped and environmental destruction. Who have fought successfully for their companies or founded their own. And more frequently i hear stories about people going back. Today many people move from the west to the east lately even slightly more people move to the east or on land or than from the east to the west. Thats so i dont want to that shows ladies and gentlemen. That does really get a fixation even 3 decades later is nothing. Complicated in that they passed to words it is still ongoing and. Is eastern germany is a special space with special experience is your concession or call certain rights and it is that these special experience it is that have led to a new east german confidence especially in young people and awareness that sees the differences not only. Perceive them as a deficit and they are right these cultural biographic characteristics they are nothing that we have to leave behind quickly as possible in order to be part of it as maybe many east germans believed in the 1990 s. Because it was on the contrary these characteristics make faceted country richer a country. That consists of many different regions and as you know there are other regions in this country that do not exactly suffer from a lack of confidence we need the experience is the east with changes so we can gain strength from the. Memory of how people stood up together for a better life far better on the country and it gives us courage. That new and good things were created on that basis this experience this eastern german experience is immensely valuable let us take it with us in our Common Future ladies and gentlemen. This is the one thing is certain. In that there is no such thing as official story of german reunification and i believe that weve all never have it and maybe we do not need it in our country because history is composed of different star you. And even if germans are very different views if our histories are multilayered and my u. T. This multilayer and that is not a deficit but we can see it as a strength crissy have to take it or ship separation and reunification peaceful revolution and 2 syst