Today was the inauguration in Munich of a memorial to the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre perpetrated by palestinian terrorists. In attendance were guests including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, IOC President Thomas Bach, Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer, as well as the families of the 12 victims.
Per the Olympics website:
There have always been two modest memorials, a sculpture by the German artist Fritz Koenig and a plaque outside the apartment where the hostages were held; but the new memorial takes a completely different approach.
The exhibition area, covering around 500 square metres, is located beneath a mound of grass surrounded by lime trees. A triangular column in the centre of the memorial will display the biographical profiles and photos of each victim. A large LED screen will play a 27-minute loop of news footage broadcast during the tragic events of 1972.
While it took decades of campaigning by Ankie Spitzer, one of the victims’ widows – who saw antisemitism as one reason for the delay – better later than never.
Also good: President Rivlin’s remarks, which reminded the world that palestinian terrorism is not a thing of the past – even when speaking about our “peace partners” the PA.
“There are still those who see in the murder of sportsmen a heroic deed,” Rivlin said, before singling out the party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. “Just last year, Fatah marked the massacre of the sportsmen as an ‘act of heroism.’
“The center we are inaugurating today must be a message to the whole world: There can be no apologizing for terrorism. Terror must be unequivocally condemned everywhere. In Barcelona, in London, in Paris, in Berlin, in Jerusalem, and everywhere else.”
Although if I wanted to be picky, I could suggest he was remiss not to remind people of Mahmoud Abbas’ actual involvement in the massacre.
I also appreciate President Steinmeier’s remarks.
“It is high time and we owe it firstly to you, the relatives,” Steinmeier said in his address. “The Olympic village became a place of Palestinian terrorists, a stage for their boundless hatred for Israel. It should never have happened.”
May the victims’ memories be a blessing.
