Let us pray, Anne Frank, to keep that faith

Today I travelled by train to Utrecht, a historical clerical and academic town. I told you before about walking an old “small philosopher’s way” there. Today I brought back to the library there two voluminous works that belong to the 20th century history of philosophy. I had borrowed them years ago, studied them thoroughly and kept them close at hand. For writing on a subject I had to drop factually when I restarted working as an environmental lawyer. No regrets there…But I don’t want to write about myself today.

On my way to the library I crossed a central square with a monumental church, closed. There, in front stands a modest bronze statue of Anne Frank. I am sure that one of my todays photo’s of her statue will be good enough for this journal. Because I have made up my mind about my recent feelings of discomfort, guilt and - I should add - serious worry. I want to transform these feelings into a combination of image and word, of art and statement. And transforming means also transcend them on a higher level, both historical and spiritual.

Let me begin then to express my feelings of deep discomfort, unrest and worry, called forth by the alarming outcome of this week’s European elections. I will not go into the details or backgrounds or motifs of the very different voters (and non-voters) all over Europe. Neither do I want to analyze what may have caused this grave and dangerous trend in the central European countries, that took the post-war initiative to lay the foundation for our actual European Union.

Let me simply and clearly state that a world-war had to be fought to defeat the demonic powers of fascism in order to restore democracy, fundamental human rights and principles of civil society and social justice over the tyranny of prejudice, destruction of human dignity, antisemitism, racism, scapegoating, xenophobia and mob-rule. As our teachers, speaking out of their experience as resistance fighters, explained us, the Project of European Unification was to build on as an integral part of the strategy of preventing any future war on European soil again.

Let us hope that what we witness today is just that wake-up call which will show us the dead ends that will not lead us out of the current complex crisis, but only sharpen and intensify social hostilities towards civil war. And let us be confident that we still have time and opportunities enough to prevent the ongoing disaster of implosion of political creativity and vision for a common future. Let us pray to stay faithful, Anne Frank, to our pledge, that never more a politics of discrimination and dehumanization would conquer solid footing on that Europe-wide soil where the Holocaust was perpetrated. Let us pray, Anne Frank, to keep that faith.