Steinmeier assumes German “responsibility” in Guernica

The president of Germany, the social democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, visited Guernica this Friday (11/28/2025), and became the first head of state of his country to pay tribute to the victims of the Nazi bombing launched in April 1937 to support the troops of General Francisco Franco during the Civil War (1936-1939) in this Spanish town, which has become a symbol of denunciation of the war.

Steinmeier participated in a ceremony in a cemetery in the Basque city with the King of Spain, Felipe VI. Both then visited the Peace Museum, which remembers this tragedy whose mark remains very present in the memory of the inhabitants of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.

"Guernica is one of those places where the horror of war and the vulnerability of the innocent are forever etched in the collective European memory."Steinmeier declared. "The civilian population was the only target: women, men and children were murdered"he continued, calling on "defend peace, freedom and democracy" in front of "all forms of nationalism, hatred and violence".

"Crime committed by Germans"

"We assume our historical responsibility. I am not the first German to come here and do so on the spot, but I think it is good for our bilateral relations that, for the first time, a German president is here personally to acknowledge responsibility for the events of that time."said the German head of state during his visit to this town.

During an official dinner on Wednesday in Madrid, Steinmeier had already stated that he considered it very important that the Germans "Don’t forget what happened, that this crime was committed by Germans".

Historians consider that Guernica was the first city in the world completely destroyed by an aerial bombardment in what was, according to specialists, a test bed for German aviation, whose Condor Legion – then in Spain to help the Francoist side – represented the elite. Italian aircraft also participated in the operation.

DZC (AFP, EFE)