Nazi Germany

A German town has drawn national outrage after far-right groups and local conservatives rallied against plaques commemorating Holocaust victims. Critics say the opposition amounts to an attempt to whitewash Nazi-era crimes and reflects growing acceptance of extremist positions in parts of German local politics. Supporters of the memorial argue such commemorations are essential to confronting Germany's history.

Commentators accuse Germany's CDU/CSU of revealing its own weaknesses through its response to Heidenau, arguing the party has for years repeated the mantra that Nazis must be defeated 'on content' rather than banned. The debate centres on whether the Union's refusal to pursue stronger measures against the AfD says more about the party itself than about its rival.

Germany's far-right AfD has moved to ban Stolpersteine, the small brass memorials embedded in pavements across Germany and Europe commemorating victims of the Nazis. Critics say the party is attempting to erase the memory of Nazi crimes while simultaneously insisting it is not a Nazi party, and the contradiction is drawing sharp condemnation and widespread discussion.