On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation from the National Socialist reign of terror, the Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKÖ) is organizing the Festival of Joy for the eighth time on May 8, 2020. Due to the official orders of the Federal Government regarding the Covid 19 pandemic, the Festival of Joy will take place virtually in memory of the victims and the joy about the liberation from the Nazi reign of terror.

On 8 May 1945 the German Wehrmacht capitulated and the Second World War ended in Europe. This year, the Festival of Joy is dedicated not only to the Day of Liberation, but also to "Humanity without Borders". The highlight of the virtual Festival of Joy is the speech of the contemporary witness Erika Kosnar. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra will also be represented with a contribution. Videos on the thematic focus "Humanity without Borders" of the messages of the liberator nations and many others will also be shown. The virtual celebration will be officially opened with a welcome by MKÖ chairman Willi Mernyi and the words of Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen.

This year, the Festival of Joy will be shown for the first time not at Heldenplatz, but in the live stream here and in the live broadcast on ORF III.

The highlight of the ceremony will be the speech by contemporary witness Erika Kosnar. Erika Kosnar comes from a Viennese working-class family of Jewish faith. Her mother converted in 1931 to Judaism. From 1938, Erika had to suffer abuse, harassment and atrocities. Thanks in part to her mother's civil courage, she survived the Nazi terror in Vienna.

For decades, Erika Kosnar did not speak publicly about her experiences. She has been speaking at events since 2000, especially at schools. Even today she is well informed about the political situation and is committed to civil courage and humanity. Solidarity in the small everyday situations is also important to her. "Often only the first person has to dare," she says. "Well, something like that happened and that's something that I like to talk to the students about. I call it civil courage."

More about Erika Kosnar