No war again! No fascism again!

On 8 May 2025, Prof. Dr Behrensen hosted an open-air sociological forum on the BTU Sachsendorf campus to reflect on the end of the Second World War and the liberation from German fascism.

“Against the background of escalating wars and conflicts around the world, rising far-right movements, rapid military rearmament and a spreading renaissance of nationalist
thinking, I would like to offer an open-air sociological forum,” the invitation stated. It continued: “Engage respectfully with the simultaneous remembrance of the struggle against Nazi crimes and the struggle for peace, as expressed in the motto ‘Never war again! Never fascism again!’”

At 12 noon, 10 people gathered. Following the recitation of a poem by Paul Celan and an anti-war song written by one of the participants, thoughts were shared on what war and fascism do to the individual, to our coexistence and to society, and how approaches to remembrance and resistance can be developed and strengthened.