HEIDENAU, Germany – A town council in eastern Germany has voted to prohibit the future installation of brass plaques that commemorate victims of Nazi persecution, a decision that has ignited controversy and highlighted divisions within the country's political landscape.
The motion, passed Thursday in Heidenau, a town near Dresden, was supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the ruling center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The plaques, known as "Stolpersteine" or "stumbling stones," are a significant element of Germany's Holocaust remembrance culture, typically embedded in sidewalks outside the former homes of individuals deported and murdered by the Nazis.
The decision comes as the AfD is leading in national polls, signaling a shift in the political climate ahead of future elections. The party has a history of challenging Germany's approach to Holocaust remembrance.
The Heidenau council's resolution calls for an end to further installations of the Stolpersteine and proposes that future commemorations be consolidated at a memorial site within the town's northern cemetery. This move has amplified debate regarding the CDU's commitment to the "Brandmauer," an informal political barrier that mainstream German parties maintain against formal cooperation with the AfD.
Representatives from local branches of both the AfD and CDU did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, the decision has drawn criticism from figures within Germany's Jewish community.
"I am appalled that a democratic party has chosen to support such a transparent maneuver by the extremist AfD," Charlotte Knobloch, head of a regional Jewish association in Bavaria, told the Funke group of newspapers. "A blanket ban on future Stolpersteine is neither necessary for the creation of a central memorial nor justified by the proposal itself," the city administration stated in a document preceding the vote.
Supporters of the motion argued that some residents find the Stolpersteine inappropriate due to their placement on the ground, where they can be walked upon. The council's decision to halt future installations went against the recommendation of the city administration.