Greens co-founder Robert Garcia gave a witty speech focusing on the party’s past and making fun of the clichés that he and his colleagues usually face. For instance, he made a reference to the slogan of the party’s first flyer, which said that the country was approaching the eleventh hour, but that the Greens were luckily there to save the day.
Garcia noted: “One could say that the Greens have ensured that it remained close to the eleventh hour for fourty years.” After all, the sense of urgency is what defines the party, he further noted.
Party presidents Djuna Bernard a Meris Sehovic then took to the stage to lay out past achievements. Bernard argued that the Greens have stayed true to their roots: “We are still the party of greenies here in Luxembourg.” She went on to say that the party helped bring climate issues to all the levels of government, ranging from municipal councils to the Chamber of Deputies.
Lead candidate Sam Tanson, current Minister of Justice and Minister for Culture, painted a picture about the Greens’ future aspirations: “For us it is clear that we want a free, a just, a feminist, and a climate-neutral world.” She stressed that society does not have another fourty years to act: “We should be climate neutral within 27 years and reduce emissions by 55% compared to 2005 within seven years.”
The Greens’ were joined at their anniversary celebrations by several guest speakers, including Patrick Dury, president of the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB), Nicole Ikuku, director of the Cooperation Cercle of NGOs, and Raymond Andekerk, director of Greenpeace Luxembourg.
Musical entertainment at the event was provided by Edsun.
