
Heidenau city council has stopped the installation of 'Stolpersteine' memorial plaques symbolizing those who were persecuted during the Nazi period.
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Stolpersteine memorial plaques are one of Germany's symbols of memory, placed at the final addresses of people killed during the Nazi period.
The decision, taken in Heidenau in the state of Saxony near Dresden, was accepted with the votes of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Commemorative plaques called 'Stolpersteine' are placed in front of the last addresses of people who were killed or persecuted during the Nazi period, and are placed in front of Germany's World War II. It is considered one of the most well-known symbols of World War II memory.
While the city council halted the installation of new stones, it decided that future commemorations would be held in a central memorial area in the city's northern cemetery.
CDU-AFD APPROACH
The decision reopened the principle of 'Brandmauer', that is, political 'firewall', which means that mainstream parties in Germany avoid official cooperation with the AfD.
AfD has previously come to the fore with statements criticizing Germany's way of commemorating its Nazi past. Alexander Gauland, one of the party's founders, described the Nazi period in disparaging terms compared to the rest of German history.
Charlotte Knobloch, head of one of the Jewish communities in Bavaria, harshly criticized the Christian Democrats' support for the decision and said she was 'horrified' that a democratic party would support this initiative of the AfD.
MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION OPPOSED
The decision was adopted despite the recommendation of the Heidenau municipal government.
In its statement before the decision, the municipal administration stated that it was not necessary to completely ban the practice in order to create a central commemoration area and that the proposal did not justify such a ban.
Those who supported the decision argued that some city residents found this form of commemoration inappropriate because the stones were buried in the ground and could be walked on.

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