Brandmauer-Debatte: AfD und CDU stimmen gegen Verlegung von Stolpersteinen

In the Saxon town of Heidenau, a resolution was passed by a majority of the city council, representing both the AfD and CDU parties, against the installation of Stolpersteine, or commemorative stones, to honor victims of Nazism. This decision came after an internal debate, where 13 votes were in favor, 6 opposed, and one abstention.

The decision was made in conjunction with the "Bündnis Oberelbe für mehr Demokratie" (Alliance Oberelbe for Democracy). The AfD and CDU representatives argued that Stolpersteine should no longer be placed in "public streets and pedestrian areas," instead advocating for their placement at the town's Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) to prevent direct contact with the memorial elements.

The city administration, on the other hand, recommended rejecting the proposal, stating that the presence of the stones in public spaces allowed for broader awareness and direct engagement with history. The Alternative Kultur- und Bildungszentrum Sächsische Schweiz, located in nearby Pirna, had previously requested the installation of more Stolpersteine.

International Auschwitz Committee Exekutiv-Vice President Christoph Heubner criticized the AfD's decision, calling it a "transparent and inglorious attempt to push Heidenau's Nazi victims out of the city and bury them where the memory of the past has long since belonged: on the cemetery." Heubner emphasized that CDU AfD members were "reaching for such low depths," a scandal in their eyes.

Stolpersteine have been used as a form of remembrance since the 1990s, with small stones placed at the last known residence of victims of Nazism. The stones, typically funded through donations, bear the names and life details of the victims on a bronze plate on top. In Munich, a city council decision now prohibits the placement of Stolpersteine on municipal land, instead opting for smaller memorials near homes and buildings to commemorate the lives lost to the Nazis.