Against racism ahead of the 2021 federal election

Ahead of the federal election, two themed “Barhockerabend” evenings are taking place online, aimed specifically at young people. “Against forgetting: Holocaust survivor Henriette Kretz tells her story” is the title of an online event on 16 September at 8 p.m. Henriette Kretz survived the Holocaust. Now 87 years old, she will recount her experiences and answer questions from the audience.

On 23 September at 8 p.m. the theme is: “Life on Lesbos and in Athens — how are refugees faring in Europe? A volunteer describes her impressions on the ground”. Rebecca from Koblenz spent this summer working with the Community of Sant’Egidio at the Eleonas camp in Athens, supporting people who had fled their homes. The previous year she volunteered in Moria, before the refugee camp on Lesbos burned down. How are people doing there? What did Rebecca experience? And what does that mean for migration and human dignity as issues in the federal election? Here too, the talk will be followed by a discussion with the audience.

Both digital events are accompanied musically by young musicians who campaign against racism: the singer-songwriters “Strangers & Friends” (16 September) and Björn Amadeus (23 September). The organisers are the youth campaign “Wir gegen Rassismus” in the Diocese of Trier and the Catholic Adult Education Centre in Koblenz, in cooperation with the AnsprechBar initiative and the Ecumenical Network Rhine-Mosel-Saar. The evenings are part of the “Koblenz Weeks of Democracy”.

Taking part is free of charge. To register, send an email stating which event or events you are interested in to: info@ansprech-bar.de. The Zoom access details will be sent shortly before the event.

Captions: (1) Holocaust survivor Henriette Kretz — copyright Diocese of Mainz, (2) Eleonas refugee camp in Athens — copyright Sant’Egidio