Michael Reichmann – euronews: “The 9th of November is an important day for Germans and our country. On this day in 1918 the first German democracy was announced – the Weimar Republic. And of course on this day in 1989 the iron curtain fell. Wolfgang Thierse is the Vice-President of the Bundestag, the German Parliament. He was a member of the citizen movement when the wall came down. What are your memories of the 9th November 1989?” Wolfgang Thierse, Vice-President of the German Bundestag: “It began as an ordinary day and I was at home with my wife watching West German Television,” explained Wolfgang Thierse. “Gunter Scabowsk a member of the Politburo appeared in a press conference to announce new rules for people travelling from the east, it was bizarre and what he was saying was unclear We asked ourselves what it meant, we couldn’t believe it. “Later, on other news the presenter began by sayingsomething sensational had happened, the GDR had opened it’s borders. That struck us like lightening. It was after that report that people ran to the border, they pushed to break through. Finally an officer opened the barrier and no one could stop the flow of people,” he said. Michael Reichmann – euronews: “What were your hopes then on hearing the news? It wasn`t just the freedom to travel, you had other aspirations as well?” Wolfgang Thierse : “We had been demonstrating against the autocracy of the communist party and calling for democracy months before the fall of the wall,” continued Wolfgang Thierse. “We demanded basic liberties. We asked for free elections, we wanted to be another country and I believe that’s something that has to be stressed. We first eeked out freedom and then unity. This peaceful revolution is not only the pre-story to the fall of the wall, it is also the story of a democratic revolution. It was a magic moment in the history of German and European freedom and the history...
Michael Reichmann – euronews: “The 9th of November is an important day for Germans and our country. ...
