Key facts
- Tobias Korenke, great-nephew of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, tried to remove an AfD wreath at a memorial for Hitler plotters.
- Security intervened, and the wreath was damaged.
- Korenke expressed anger at the AfD's presence at the memorial.
- The AfD is the largest opposition party in Germany.
- Karl von Stauffenberg, grandson of the plot leader, said the AfD should be allowed to lay a wreath despite their motives.
At a memorial event in Berlin commemorating the 82nd anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, Tobias Korenke, a descendant of executed Nazi opponent Dietrich Bonhoeffer, attempted to remove a wreath laid by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Security officers intervened in the scuffle, which resulted in the wreath being damaged.
Korenke expressed strong disapproval of the AfD's presence, stating, “Many descendants, myself included, feel really great anger when we see AfD laying wreaths here. We will not accept this.” The AfD, which finished second in the last German national election and is now the largest opposition party, confirmed it had provided a wreath for the event, with lawmaker Götz Frömming noting the party is invited to such official events as a parliamentary representative.
The memorial event marked the anniversary of the July 20, 1944, plot led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who attempted to kill Hitler with a briefcase bomb at his East Prussia headquarters. Hitler survived the blast, and Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators were executed hours later. Bonhoeffer, associated with the plotters, was executed in 1945.
Education Minister Karin Prien delivered a speech at the event. Karl von Stauffenberg, a grandson of the plot leader, told Welt television that while the AfD was attempting to exploit his grandfather's memory, the party should not be prevented from laying a wreath, emphasizing the importance of allowing differing viewpoints in a democracy.