In Germany banned the installation of memorial stones to victims of Nazism

The city Council of Heidenau in the German state of Saxony decided to ban the installation of new “stumbling stones” – memorial plaques in memory of the victims of Nazi persecution. The initiative was supported by 13 deputies, six voted against, one abstained, reports Tagesschau.

The authors of the proposal, representing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the Oberelbe civic initiative, justified the ban by saying that passers-by can step on signs with the names of the dead. According to the decision, the laying of such monuments on public streets and sidewalks will now be rejected.

The city administration opposed this initiative. Mayor Connie Ertel said the memory of Nazi victims should remain a prominent part of the urban environment. Already installed stones will remain in their places. As an alternative, the deputies proposed to create a single place of memory in the Northern cemetery, but this site has not yet been approved, since the land belongs to the church, and its consent is required.

The Saxon branch of the CDU distanced itself from the decision of local parliamentarians. Secretary General of the branch Tom Unger called “stumbling stones” an acceptable form of memorialization and stressed that the complete rejection of one of the types of memorialization is the wrong way.

“Stumbling Stones” is a project by artist Gunter Demnig, launched in the early 1990s. Brass plates are mounted on the sidewalk in front of the last residence of victims of repression. By August 2024, more than 107,000 stones were installed in almost 1,900 municipalities.

At the federal level, the CDU leadership excludes cooperation with the AfD. After the successes of the Alternative in the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpomerania, Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed the policy of isolating this party.