In 1961 in an attempt to stem the flow of people running to the west the East German Police built a barrier dividing east and west, which became famously known as the Berlin wall. Over the following years many people would attempt in many different ways to break through the barrier and escape to freedom on the other side. And many would pay with their lives. Many heroic attempts were made to rescue people starting on both sides of the wall. People would hold babies up for family members to see, and billboards we erected on the west side sending messages across to friends and family on the east side. Between 61 and 89 the wall was changed many times. What started by a small barbed wire fence changed over time to a short wall, then to a cindercrete block wall, eventually to be replaced by the concrete slab wall surrounded by guard towers and kill zones that were immortalized by news reports and photographers around the world.
The wall remained source of division until Nov 9 1989 when East Germany opened the doors and allowed its citizens to travel freely between east and west. The wall eventually fell almost 2 years later in Oct of 1990.
A new era of peace and unity was opened to the German people. And with remembrance day coming this is another time to reflect on the costs of oppression and discrimination has cost many peoples around the world. With wars and violence happening everyday around us now is the time to reflect on what the freedoms we enjoy today has cost so many.
The Blog of Tom Sanders 