< Back to all clusters
[POLITICS] · Germany · 2 sources

AfD wreath removal triggers clash at Berlin's Bendlerblock memorial

During a commemoration of the German resistance to National Socialism at the Bendlerblock in Berlin, a wreath laid by the far‑right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) sparked a confrontation. Tobias Korenke, the great‑nephew of anti‑Nazi theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, attempted to remove the wreath; security personnel intervened and a physical altercation broke out.

The incident prompted criticism from church leaders, with Thorsten Latzel, head of the regional Protestant church, expressing solidarity with Korenke and denouncing the AfD's use of the memorial as "politically instrumentalised" and contrary to the values of the resistance fighters. The episode has revived debate over the appropriateness of political parties, especially the AfD, participating in historic remembrance events.