Heidenau decision sparks sharp criticism across Germany

27.09.2026 10:05 HotInfo

The decision by the city council in Heidenau, Saxony, to halt the laying of Stolpersteine has provoked sharp reactions from politicians, representatives of the Jewish community, and the memorial stones' creator, Gunther Demnig. Critics point out that the ban came after a joint proposal by the AfD and CDU. Welt ↗

CDU member of parliament Karin Prien called the decision a scandal. She stated that Stolpersteine in public spaces make the destroyed Jewish life visible and restore a measure of dignity to every persecuted person. Deutschlandfunk ↗

The chair of the German Greens, Felix Banaszak, also spoke out against the decision, calling it the wrong signal at the wrong time. Criticism also came from the Israeli ambassador, the artist Gunther Demnig, and the chairwoman of the Jewish Community in Munich, Charlotte Knobloch. Tagesspiegel ↗

Knobloch, who has reservations about the Stolpersteine, said the ban shocked her. Demnig accused the CDU of moving away from Christian values through this step. The decision also caused outrage among descendants of victims of the Nazi regime. Die Zeit ↗

The Stolpersteine — brass memorial stones set into the pavement in front of the former homes of Nazi victims — were created by Demnig. They commemorate specific people persecuted and murdered during the Nazi dictatorship. Spiegel.de ↗

The discussion now centers on the CDU's political cooperation with the AfD at the local level and on alternative ways of commemorating the victims of Nazism in Heidenau. Deutschlandfunk ↗

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