In an open letter addressed "to all who took part in last Saturday's demonstrations", the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights has made its position clear regarding the recent violent protests against COVID-19 measures in Luxembourg.
Whilst the museum recognised the right to protest and to express one's opposition to the rules introduced by the government, it recalled that "vandalism, deception and violence are not allowed".
Reflecting on the arguments put forth by some that Luxembourg is becoming an "authoritarian state", the museum pointed out that, in a democracy, "citizens elect the representatives who make the decisions for them" and that, if most of the electorate do not feel represented by these individuals, they are free to elect new representatives in the next elections. The museum, which is based in Esch-sur-Alzette, added that: "Even in a democracy, not everyone's wishes and ideas can be realised".
The National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights went on to criticise comparisons made by certain protestors between the current situation and the Second World War, arguing that such parallels are "based either on a blatant lack of historical knowledge or, and this is more likely, on a deliberate falsification and instrumentalisation of history". The museum deemed such behaviour "unacceptable", adding that "such comparisons are outrageous to all victims of the NS [Nazi] regime".
