Stumbling block laying stop in Heidenau: criticism from Gunter Demnig

Stolperstein artist Gunter Demnig described the stop to relocation decided in Heidenau, Saxony, as unsurprising. "After the AfD's election successes, it was certainly to be expected that something like this would happen," said the 78-year-old. At the same time, he criticized the CDU and accused it of having moved away from Christian values. The party “should perhaps delete its C. Because they have probably left the Christian aspect behind them.

Demnig's wife Katja Demnig, managing director of the "Foundation - Traces - Gunter Demnig", which was responsible for the relocation, also criticized the decision. In an interview with the Evangelical Press Service (epd), she described it as problematic that the commemoration of Nazi victims in Heidenau should be relocated to the cemetery. “People and Nazi victims are once again being pushed out of the cityscape,” said Demnig.

The Heidenau city council voted on Thursday not to lay any more stumbling blocks. The decision caused a stir primarily because the corresponding motion was supported by CDU and AfD city councilors. Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, called it a scandal that CDU MPs would "reach out to the AfD for such shabbiness."