Germany: After Paris, President Gauck Speaks of a "New Type of War"

German President Joachim Gauck addressed the members of the Bundestag (German parliament) during a commemoration ceremony in Berlin, Sunday, held for the victims of the Paris attacks, in which he said a "new type of war" has emerged.

Gauck: Integration der Flüchtlinge schwieriger als deutsche Einheit

Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck in Frankfurt

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck hält die Integration hunderttausender Flüchtlinge für eine größere Aufgabe als die deutsche Wiedervereinigung. Denn jetzt solle „zusammenwachsen, was bisher nicht zusammengehörte“.

Die Integration von Flüchtlingen wird Deutschland nach Ansicht von Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck vor eine größere Aufgabe stellen als die deutsche Einheit. Auch die Vereinigung von Ost- und Westdeutschland beschäftige Generationen, sagte Gauck am Samstag in seiner Rede beim Festakt zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit in Frankfurt. „Doch anders als damals soll nun zusammenwachsen, was bisher nicht zusammengehörte.“

Es müssten viel größere Distanzen überwunden werden als zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschen, die eine Sprache und eine gemeinsame Kultur und Geschichte gehabt hätten, sagte der Bundespräsident. Deswegen forderte Gauck Geduld und betonte, dass nur die in Deutschland geltenden Werte Basis für eine Integration sein könnten. „Es braucht Zeit, bis alte und neue Bürger Verantwortung in einem Staat übernehmen, den alle gemeinsam als ihren Staat empfinden.“ » | Quelle: Reuters | Samstag, 3. Oktober 2015

Angela Merkel Joins Muslim Rally against German Anti-Islamisation Protests

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chancellor Merkel joins thousands of people in Berlin at Muslim solidarity rally for victims of Paris attacks

German chancellor Angela Merkel joined thousands of people at a Muslim solidarity rally for victims of the Paris attacks in Berlin on Tuesday evening, in what was widely seen as a public rebuke to the anti-Islam protests that have gripped Germany in recent weeks.

Mrs Merkel and the German president Joachim Gauck joined a 3,000-strong crowd as the Koran was read under the Brandenburg Gate at a rally shown live on German television.

“The terrorists wanted to divide us. They have achieved the opposite. They have brought us together,” President Gauck told the gathered crowds.

“I say to these fanatics and terrorists: we are not afraid of you. Your hate is our motivation. We stand by our country and its values.” » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

PEGIDA: Merkel verurteilt Anti-Islam-Bewegung

ZEIT ONLINE: Es gebe in Deutschland keinen Platz für Hetze gegen Gläubige oder Fremdenfeindlichkeit, sagt die Bundeskanzlerin. Joachim Gauck nennt die Pegida-Anhänger Chaoten.

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) sieht die Demonstrationen der Anti-Islam-Bewegung Pegida kritisch. Mit Blick auf die jüngsten Proteste des Bündnisses sagte die stellvertretende Regierungssprecherin Christiane Wirtz in Berlin, es gebe in Deutschland keinen Platz für Hetze gegen Gläubige, für Islamophobie oder Fremdenfeindlichkeit. Merkel verurteile solche Tendenzen auf das Schärfste.

Dennoch müsse die Regierung die Sorgen der Bürger ernst nehmen. Die Zuwanderung nach Deutschland und die steigenden Asylbewerberzahlen beschäftigten die Bevölkerung, sagte die Sprecherin. » | dpa/sdo | Freitag, 12. Dezember 2014

German President Apologizes for Nazi-era Massacre

YNET NEWS: During a diplomatic trip to Greece, President Joachim Gauck visited site of 1943 atrocity to pay respect, ask the families for forgiveness.

A visibly emotional German president laid a wreath Friday at a monument in northwestern Greece to villagers massacred by German soldiers during World War II, at the end of a three-day visit that combined political talks with efforts to bring closure to wounds from the German wartime occupation of Greece.

Joachim Gauck expressed "shame" at the 1943 atrocity at Ligiades, where Nazi troops executed dozens of villagers, including months-old babies, in reprisal for a partisan attack: "With shame and pain I ask the families of those murdered for forgiveness in Germany's name."

The German president emphased: "I pay my respects to the victims of the monstrous crimes mourned here and in many places across Greece." » | Associated Press | Friday, March 07, 2014

German President Joachim Gauck Uses Major Speech to Call for 'More Europe'

DEUTSCHE WELLE: President Joachim Gauck has used a nationally televised speech to call for greater cooperation among the European Union’s member states. The speech comes a year after Gauck took office as Germany’s head of state.

Speaking in front of 200 invited guests at his official residence, the Schloss Bellevue palace in Berlin, President Gauck called for what he described as “more Europe,” while at the same time addressing some of the fears of ordinary EU citizens, including those regarding the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis.

The president conceded that a "structural flaw led to an imbalance in the European Union which was only patched up by emergency measures, such as the European Stability Mechanism and the fiscal compact."

He also condeded that most of what the EU's 500 million citizens have read or heard about the 27-member bloc over the past few years has tended to be about the eurozone crisis.

However, he also noted that there were many more elements to the crisis than just the economic dimension.

"It is also a crisis of confidence in Europe as a political project. This is not just a struggle for our currency; we are struggling with an internal quandary too." » | Chuck Penfold | Friday, February 22, 2013