Chemnitz residents send a clear signal on Peace Day Sign: "It is our city, colourful, cosmopolitan and tolerant"

Several thousand people from Chemnitz were out and about in the city today during Peace Day, demonstrating in many places in favour of peace, tolerance and openness to the world. They commemorated those who died in the bomb attack on Chemnitz 69 years ago and also its causes - this gives rise to a responsibility and a clear commitment to give neo-Nazis no place in the city.

Mayor Barbara Ludwig was delighted to see so much willingness to stand up for a peaceful and democratic Chemnitz: "It's good to see that so many Chemnitz residents have made a clear commitment to democracy, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, cosmopolitanism and against hatred and right-wing extremism. I would like to thank everyone for this," said Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig. "I am particularly proud that all age groups were out and about in the city - to remember, to admonish and to make it very clear what attitude the people in our city have."

Around 600 to 700 counter-demonstrators stopped the right-wing march in Lützowstraße in the evening. Well over 1,500 people had taken part in the various demonstrations organised by the student council, the trade unions, the Left Party and the Chemnitz nazifrei alliance, as well as the churches' peace marches.

More than 1,200 people attended the evening event organised by the AG Friedenstag on Neumarkt, which was also attended by Interior Minister Markus Ulbig. Dr Christoph Dittrich, General Director of the Chemnitz theatres, gave the speech at Neumarkt. For him, it was the first Chemnitz Peace Day and he impressed the audience with words centred around his mother's experiences during the Second World War. Dr Sadik Al-Biladi then spoke about the global refugee problem and the consequences for our society. The doctor from Iraq has lived in Chemnitz for many years and is the winner of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2009. The central rally was accompanied by members of the ensemble of the Chemnitz Municipal Theatre, the Theatre Youth Club, the "Schir Semer" choir of the Chemnitz Jewish Community and the Chemnitz Music School.

150 Chemnitz residents had already accepted the invitation of the Chemnitz Nazi-free alliance on the day and took part in the tour of the perpetrators' traces. The Day of Peace began with the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the municipal cemetery. In the presence of Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig, 300 people, including pupils from seven Chemnitz educational institutions, commemorated the victims of the air raids 69 years ago and the cause of the bombings. Lewin Gestrich and Carl Geissler, tenth-graders at Dr Wilhelm André-Gymnasium and members of the City Pupils' Council, dedicated a moving speech to 5 March 1945.

The oversized paintings attached to the town hall and the Roter Turm gallery were an eye-catcher on Peace Day. This year, Aktion C was able to inspire over 40 schools and day-care centres for its colourful series of paintings. The children and young people tackled the subject of war in a very personal way. The result is several hundred metres of colourful fleece, which display this year's motto: "It's our city, colourful, cosmopolitan and tolerant". In addition to the open-air gallery, concerts, performances, talks, peace wishes and many other contributions encouraged people to engage with the theme. The walkable peace cross on the Neumarkt was a popular place to talk, remember and admonish.

The Chemnitz Peace Day ended with a peace service in the St Jakobi City and Market Church, in which Bishop Jochen Bohl took part, and the traditional commemorative peal.

A broad alliance of city council groups, the Lord Mayor, representatives from business, trade unions, culture, sport, science, churches, the Jewish community, initiatives, associations and civil society players had called on the people of Chemnitz to take part in the commemorative events on Peace Day in the run-up to the event: "This day is dedicated to the victims of war and destruction and is a day of pause and remembrance. But it is also a day of resistance against the falsification of history by right-wing extremist groups, who will also try to take their inhuman ideology to the streets on 5 March."