Silent protest

Brandenburg an der Havel, 15 December 2020

MHB student initiative for prevention and solidarity creates a path of light leading up to the illuminated monument “Friedenswarte” in remembrance of the 567 Corona victims in the State of Brandenburg (as per 14 December 2020).

Here is a statement of the student initiative: “Protest and freedom of opinion can take a wide variety of shapes. Some prefer noisy protests to vent their frustration. It really annoys us that they not only categorically refuse to address scientific facts but make social interaction and solidarity impossible. The others, and we count ourselves among them like the majority of the population, have realized the dramatic situation, support each other and stay at home, although this is hard and it hurts.

We are well aware of the manifold problems caused by the imminent renewed lockdown, the threats to the livelihood of numerous people, the creative arts and cultural industry which may never quite recover, all those parents desperately looking for childcare services, to name just a few examples. We know about the huge economic damage involved.

But we also know why we need to accept all this: we must protect lives. Protect those who must rely on the solidarity of others for their protection, the risk groups, the weakest in society. As per today, the virus has taken 567 lives in Brandenburg, 567 citizens now mourned by relatives, friends and acquaintances, people who deserve dignified and silent remembrance and not noisy protests that turn them into mere statistical data to be randomly compared to figures from previous years. We want to commemorate them in silence and once again point to the real issue: the protection of our fellow humans.”