The summer concert had become an autumn concert, Konrad Schoppmann from the Warendorf group of Amnesty International (ai) welcomed the listeners in the well-occupied monastery church on Sunday afternoon.
They had not only come to listen to the music of the Evangelical Trombone Choir under the proven direction of Georg Potthoff, who has played a key role in organizing the “Warendorf Monastery Concerts” for eleven years and this year too – for the second time accompanied by organist Bernhard Ratermann varied program presented. They – or at least most of them – had also come to show the flag for human rights. The main aim of the concert series, which takes place twice a year, for which the Horstmann family and Mrs. Seidel, also for eleven years, are happy to make the monastery church available as a venue, is to support this with a donation or further support.
Spread hope instead of fear
Schoppmann described the increasing danger in our country of no longer taking a differentiated approach to solving problems with other ethnic groups and religions. However, undifferentiated, seemingly quick solutions also run the risk of making human rights secondary.
Konrad Schoppmann emphatically described the increasingly difficult times for the acceptance of human rights. Photo: Joe Rieder
People are being told by various political parties that people from Syria or Afghanistan represent a danger and that protecting human dignity represents annoying ballast when averting danger, he quoted the Secretary General of Amnesty Germany, Julia Duchrow. Instead, their concept says: “It has to be about spreading hope instead of fear!”
1000 postcards from Warendorf
The Warendorf Ai Group also wants Dr. Make Tayfun Kahraman. “He is now our case,” explained Konrad Schoppmann.
„
He is our case now.
“Konrad Schoppmann
The Turkish architect was sentenced to 18 years in prison for an alleged coup attempt, although no evidence of a crime could be found. Supporters can demand Kahraman’s release with 1,000 postcards printed by the Warendorf group to be sent to the Turkish Minister of Justice.
After the concert with works by Bach, Ravel, Edith Piaf and Oscar Peterson, among others, as well as two autumn poems that Schoppmann recited, there was the opportunity for conversations in front of the church portal with wine and candlelight, which were not only about, but also about the work of Amnesty and the specific case of the man convicted for political reasons.
