When Markus Söder enters the hall in Berlin's Urania, applause breaks out.

“Get up” calls out a woman in the back rows, a man helps a white-haired woman out of the cinema seat.

The "Homeland Day" of the Association of Expellees begins on Saturday lunchtime with a standing ovation for the CSU chairman.

Helene Bubrowski

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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Bernd Fabritius, President of the Association of Displaced Persons, is also pleased about the prominent keynote speaker who, as Bavarian Prime Minister, is the patron of the Sudeten German ethnic group: Söder is "a familiar face and a very, very welcome guest".

The name Söder is mentioned again in Fabritius' speech and there is applause again.

"Honor and joy, no duty to be here"

Söder delivers what the audience expects. It is an "honor and joy, not a duty to be here". In the audience, cell phones are pulled out to take photos, including films. Söder tells of personal encounters with expellees, as a young MP, in the family. He knows which jokes go down well here: the food at the regional associations, which he has visited in large numbers, has always been good. “But I admit: You get off worse as a vegan. And if you want to lose weight, it's not ideal either. ”Then you'd better go to the Green Party conference.

“Without the displaced people, Bavaria would not be where it is today,” says Söder. The fate and the achievement of the displaced is not enough in the consciousness of the people, Söder demanded that the topic be anchored in history lessons. Söder praised the charter of the German expellees from 1950, which was remembered at the beginning of "Home Day" and which meant a renunciation of revenge and retribution of the expellees. "I am annoyed that nobody thought of the displaced people during the discussions about the Nobel Peace Prize," says Söder. "You would have deserved this award for the charter of German expellees."

In his greeting, Fabritius had expressly encouraged Söder to get rid of "one or the other political message" four weeks before the election.

Söder makes use of the offer rather sparingly.

It can be seen, however, that a lot of election campaigning is not necessary for the Union in this auditorium.

“You might notice: I think it's really great here,” says Söder, and that is also well received.

What does a left government mean for the displaced?

Regarding the federal election on September 26, the CSU chairman only said that the outcome would have a consequence: It is not certain whether a government that deals exclusively with left-wing issues will continue to have a representative for repatriate issues and national minorities.

He promises to upgrade this office, which Bernd Fabritius holds, in the event of an election victory.

And he announces more money for the work of the displaced in the event of an election victory. 

Fabritius, who is himself a member of the Bundestag for the CSU, takes on his part. He explains that only in the election manifesto of the Union parties, the achievements of the expellees for the Federal Republic are honored and the prospect of promoting the cultural property of the expellees is in prospect.

"We have a right to be noticed."