German town bans 'stumbling stone' memorials to Nazi victims
Summary
The town of Heidenau in Germany has banned "stumbling stone" memorials that honor victims of the Nazis. These small brass plaques are usually placed outside the homes of Holocaust victims, but local politicians voted to move memorials to a cemetery instead, sparking criticism from officials and Jewish community leaders.Key Facts
- "Stumbling stones" (Stolpersteine) are small brass plaques placed in streets to remember victims of Nazi persecution, often outside their former homes.
- Heidenau, near Dresden, has banned these plaques, deciding memorials should be placed only in the Nordfriedhof cemetery.
- The ban was supported by councillors from the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and the conservative CDU party in Heidenau.
- The AfD party in Saxony is classified by German intelligence as extreme-right, but the party rejects this label.
- Germany’s Education Minister Karin Prien called the ban a "scandal" and criticized removing memorials from public spaces.
- Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and Jewish community leader, said moving memorials away from public places is wrong and makes Jewish history invisible.
- The artist who created the Stolpersteine, Gunter Demnig, expected the ban due to rising support for the AfD in some German states.
- Some cities, like Munich, do not allow stumbling stones on public land but permit memorial plaques on buildings as a different way to honor victims.
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