A descendant of a prominent opponent of the Nazi regime attempted to remove a wreath left by the far-right Alternative for Germany party at a memorial event in Berlin. Tobias Korenke, a great-nephew of Protestant pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis in 1945, tried to take the wreath from the site where the main plotters of a failed attempt to kill Adolf Hitler were executed. The incident occurred on Monday, the 82nd anniversary of the failed assassination attempt.
Security officers intervened, and the wreath was damaged in the scuffle. Korenke expressed his anger and frustration, stating that many descendants of Nazi opponents feel strongly opposed to the AfD laying wreaths at such events. The Alternative for Germany party finished second in last year’s German national election and is now the biggest opposition party.
AfD’s parliamentary group confirmed that it had provided a wreath for the memorial event, but it wasn’t clear whether any of its members were present. The memorial event commemorated the failed assassination attempt by Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, who tried to kill Hitler with a briefcase bomb on July 20, 1944. Von Stauffenberg and his fellow plotters were executed within hours, and Bonhoeffer was executed the following year for his association with the plotters.
The event went ahead as planned, with a speech by Education Minister Karin Prien. Karl von Stauffenberg, a grandson of the colonel, commented that while he disagrees with AfD’s actions, he believes the party should not be prevented from laying a wreath, emphasizing the importance of democratic values and allowing people with different opinions to speak.
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