Many historical events make November 9th a memorable date. A tweet from the Bundeswehr, on the other hand, tends to cause trouble.
Berlin – November 9th is probably the most memorable day in Germany. On this date a whole series of events took place that shaped the Federal Republic. On this occasion, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited people to Bellevue Palace to talk about the low points, but also the great moments of November 9th. Meanwhile, the Bundeswehr attracted attention with an action that in no way showed any historical significance.
On the morning of November 9th, a picture of two firing tanks could be seen on the Twitter account of the German Army, i.e. the land forces of the Bundeswehr. This was posted with the text “The #Heer wishes a #GutenMorgen & dynamic start to #TankTuesday. #PanzerHurra “. Users soon criticized the post for the lack of tact, as reported by rundschau-online.de. The contrast to the Steinmeier event in particular makes it clear why the tone of the Twitter post was so wrongly chosen.
Memorable events on November 9th – Bundeswehr criticized for tweet
In his speech, the Federal President drew attention to the contradictions that can be found in the events of November 9th. The November pogroms in 1938, also known as Kristallnacht, were one of the darkest hours in German history. On the evening of November 9th, the riots against Jews in Germany reached their climax. More than 1,300 people died and over 30,000 male Jews were sent to concentration camps. In addition, thousands of synagogues and shops were devastated and looted.
In 1989, however, with the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, a rare, successful, peaceful revolution took place, which to this day is one of the happiest days in the Federal Republic of Germany. In view of these historical events, Steinmeier asked why November 9th only played a subordinate role in our public commemoration, and pleaded for a new culture of commemoration on this date.
Bundeswehr reaps trouble with # TankTuesday tweet on November 9th
The #TankTuesday actually seems inappropriate in view of this, which the Bundeswehr itself has now recognized. The army account deleted the tweet and asked for an apology in a new post.
The German military has only recently come under fire. In her column, Katja Thorwarth writes why the Bundeswehr’s big tattoo belongs in the bin. (vbu / dpa)
