AfD and CDU city councilors in Heidenau want to reject stumbling blocks
Quick Look
- In Heidenau, city councilors from the AfD and CDU, together with the Upper Elbe Alliance for More Democracy, want to reject the laying of stumbling blocks in public streets and sidewalks.
- Instead, they propose that the commemoration of Nazi victims take place in the Nordfriedhof.
- The city administration recommends rejecting the application because the memorial should remain visible in public space.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Stolpersteine are memorial stones that have existed since the 1990s and commemorate victims of National Socialism. They are usually relocated to the victims' last known place of residence or work, financed by donations. There are already stumbling blocks at two locations in Heidenau, including one in memory of the former mayor Paul Gröger.
AfD and CDU city councilors want to reject the laying of so-called stumbling blocks in Heidenau (Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district) in the future. In a cross-party motion for a resolution together with the “Upper Elbe Alliance for More Democracy,” representatives of both parties are calling for stumbling blocks “in public streets and sidewalks” to be rejected in the future. The city council is scheduled to vote on a corresponding resolution in the evening. “Bild” had previously reported.
It goes on to say that many citizens, relatives and initiatives would not consider this form of remembrance of the victims of National Socialism to be appropriate. Instead, the commemoration should preferably take place in the city's northern cemetery, so that "direct entry into the memorial elements is excluded."
Administration speaks out against the application
The administration recommends rejecting the proposal. “Commemoration should continue to take place visibly and noticeably in public spaces in the future,” it says.
In Heidenau there are already stumbling blocks at two locations - including in memory of the former Heidenau mayor Paul Gröger. Last year, the Alternative Culture and Education Center Saxon Switzerland, based in neighboring Pirna, applied for further stumbling blocks to be laid.
The Stolpersteine memorial form has been around since the 1990s. The paving stones with the names of the victims of National Socialism, usually financed by donations, are laid at the last known place of residence or work of the victims.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The city council will reject the application to reject stumbling blocks in public spaces.
Likely · Within hours
Open Questions
- How will the vote in the city council turn out?
- Will the Upper Elbe Alliance for More Democracy take further steps if the application is rejected?
- How do citizens' initiatives and national associations react to the application?
