German Government has passed a bill

[Annelie]

establishing the "Foundation Flight, Expulsion and Concilliation" to commenorate the displacement of 14 million Germans
after World War II. The foundation will be located in Berlin's Deutschlandhaus, feature an exhibition and an archive and serve as a venue for events. The decision on Sept 3 came after years of discussion betwqeen the CDU and SPD. Poland and, with it, some members of the SPD feared the project would divert attention from Nazi Germany's wartime atrocities. The exhibition is scheduled to open in 2013.

source.....The Atlantic Times

These 14 million people never had anything to do with the crimes of which we are continually reminded. Its nice to know they will be remembered in some small way.

[John W. Howard]

Hello Annelie:
It is amazing that it took "years of discussion" between parties to commemorate the suffering of 14 million people sharing their own heritage. Good Lord. Suffering is suffering and no one group or person has a monopoly on it Best wishes.

[krichter33]

Well, at least they are finally building some type of memorial. It's about time!

[Michael Miller / ABR]

These 14 million people never had anything to do with the crimes of which we are continually reminded.

Kind of a blanket statement there... Are you 100% sure about all 14 million?
I do, however, agree that the majority likely had no criminal culpability and that their suffering is as worthy of a memorial as anyone else's.


~ Mike

[phylo_roadking]

It ALSO has the added benefit of taking the post-war forced migrations issue out of extremist politics and exploitation...which was discussed on here some time ago...and defuses it into mainline "remembrance".

[Paddy Keating]

Good point.

PK