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A workshop on discrimination in football, the memory of forced labour in Bochum, the war in the Gaza Strip, human rights and the climate crisis and the fascination of Chile – that was November at the Fritz Bauer Forum.
On 8 November 2024, a workshop was held at the Fritz Bauer Library as part of the „Action and Education Weeks against Anti-Semitism 2024“ in cooperation with the Reporting Centre for Discrimination in Football (MeDiF-NRW) , which brought together various topics. In an interested round, there was first a conversation on the topic of anti-Semitism, before delving into the life story of Fritz Bauer. Documents on the topic of football in concentration camps and statements by witnesses from the Auschwitz trial were used as the basis for a lively discussion. Finally, concrete recommendations for action and intervention methods were discussed so that the participants are able to implement Fritz Bauer’s social mission in their own everyday lives.
July 2024 marked the 80th anniversary of the completion of the Constantin Colliery forced labour camp. In cooperation with the vhs Bochum and us, the Bochum-Bergen Memorial Initiative organised an event to mark this date. A detailed report can be found on the initiative’s website here .
The last event in the „We need need need to talk“ series, which is supported by „Demokratie leben!“, took place on 21 November. Dr Muriel Asseburg, a political scientist from Berlin, spoke in the Fritz Bauer Library, which was filled to capacity, about the historical background to the Middle East conflict and the current war, as well as the obstacles she sees to ending the war. But she also spoke about the „silver linings“ that give her a little bit of hope – even if they are admittedly small. These include, for example, the people on the ground who are campaigning for self-determination for both peoples. At the end of the evening, she emphasised once again that listening is more important than making attributions.
You can find Dr Muriel Asseburg’s lecture here on our YouTube channel.
The „Human Rights Day Forum“, consisting of Bochum City Library, Amnesty Bochum, Kinder- und Jugendring, vhs Bochum and the Fritz Bauer Forum, in cooperation with UniverCity, once again organised a joint event for Human Rights Day, which this year took place before 10 December. The two speakers, Lina Ebbecke (Amnesty International) and Maren Solmecke (Leuphana University of Lüneburg), spoke from a legal perspective on the topic of „Human rights in the climate crisis“. The interactive presentation, which included a „Privilege Walk“, focussed on which human rights are affected by the effects of the climate crisis and which vulnerable groups are particularly affected. Even though climate change is increasingly responsible for people having to flee their home countries, there is no formal recognition of climate-induced flight in the EU. The two speakers gave the audience a brief outlook on what we can do to show solidarity: „Create collective self-efficacy and hope“.
What does a first-time German visitor see and what does a Chilean see? On 28 November, Roman Hillmann reported on his first impressions and his encounter with the country of Chile. Hillmann first got to know Chile in July of this year as part of a conference on the history of technology and was immediately fascinated. He lived in Valparaíso, travelled on public transport and spoke to local people. Together with Pedro Crovetto, who was born in Chile, he investigated the question. „But what did I think I understood about Chile as a newcomer?“. This led to a conversation about his perception of the country, its politics and history.
10 December, 18:00 – 19:30: „Songbirds and ravens were no longer there either“ | Reading and lecture on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo. Further information here .