German antifascists tend to the graves of Soviet prisoners of war and forced labourers

Antifascists at the Waldfriedhof cemetery in Duisburg on May 10, 2026. Credit: German Communist Party (DKP) Duisburg.

By Jörg Friedrichs. Unsere Zeit. Sozialistische Wochenzeitung – Zeitung der DKP, May 13, 2026. Translated by Helmut-Harry Loewen.

Fascist Germany surrendered unconditionally to the armed forces of the anti-Hitler coalition on May 8, 1945. The German Communist Party (DKP) in Duisburg and the alliance “Duisburg Stands Up” (DSSQ) [1] commemorated this event on May 8 with a rally in the inner city of Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia.

As in previous years, the DKP Duisburg and DSSQ marked Liberation Day on May 10 by cleaning the graves of Soviet prisoners of war, forced labourers, and Duisburg antifascists at the Waldfriedhof cemetery. Nearly two dozen antifascists gathered for the occasion.

This year, the comrades from participating organizations received a visit from the local police. A 'concerned citizen' had stated that the grave tending action was an unauthorized demonstration and reported the participants. Two officers claimed that the cleanup, which in fact had been properly registered with the cemetery administration, constituted an “unauthorized assembly.” They asserted that holding such a gathering was a “criminal offence,” an interpretation which is legally incorrect. They recorded the personal information of a participant and informed him that criminal charges would be filed. One of the officers photographed the cleanup. The police prohibited the participants from displaying the banners and flags they had brought with them. The DKP banner reads: “Never again fascism, never again war.” [2] The police by their actions thus underscored the importance of antifascism.

[1] The name of this coalition is “Duisburg stellt sich quer“ (DSSQ).

[2] Another banner displaying the original 1932 Antifascist Action logo of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) reads: “Antifascism means fighting NATO.”

Original article: Jörg Friedrichs, “Duisburger Antifaschisten putzen Gräber sowjetischer Kriegsgefangener und Zwangsarbeiter. Auf dem Friedhof denunziert,” Unsere Zeit. Sozialistische Wochenzeitung – Zeitung der DKP, 13.05.2026.