Over a thousand young Europeans call for peace and make it happen everyday in their own countries, not only in Italy, France or Germany, but also in war zones such as Ukraine through solidarity and help to those who are suffering. ‘A Global Friendship for a Future of Peace’, the international conference of “Youth for Peace”, a movement linked to the Community of Sant'Egidio, experienced its most intense day today. A large assembly on the theme ‘In friendship lies victory’ with testimonies by numerous young people, high school and university students from 13 European countries and with the participation of the President of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo.
In recent years, the Youth for Peace movement has grown and is active in many cities in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia, giving voice to the dreams and hopes of a generation that is hardly listened to,’ said Impagliazzo. ‘Having made peace our banner and our daily struggle is a sign of novelty in today's world, marked by the all-pervasive logic of war which only leads to death. From wars fought with weapons to the everyday small ones that appear normal and that make people believe that that the only way to win is to offend, shout, scold others. We know, however, that you cannot give others the worst. Others, especially the poor, must be given the best of us,' he concluded.
The young people spoke of their commitment, all-year round, in the suburbs, with children in difficulty, the homeless, the lonely elderly, but also of their holidays in solidarity, spent by many with migrants in the refugee camps in Greece and Cyprus. A great European event for peace, deeply felt at a time marked by terrible wars, such as those in Gaza and Ukraine. And it was precisely from Ukraine (from Kiev, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkiv) that some hundred girls and boys came. They testified how solidarity with internally displaced persons and so many other people suffering from war is the first step towards building peace. They also discussed ecology, migration, poverty in the city where 35 years ago a wall fell. an example of the strength of democracy, dialogue and the search for peaceful ways of change. This is a sign of hope for the future.
On 28 August afternoon, the young people gathered near the Brandenburg Gate for a commemoration ceremony at the memorial to the Sinti and Roma who were victims of National Socialism and reaffirmed their commitment against all forms of violence and racism.
