German Far-Right AfD Alienates Allies as Town Bans Holocaust Memorials, Sparking Outrage

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is increasingly alienating its European allies due to its extreme views and controversial actions. The party was expelled from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament in May 2024 following scandals, including a high-profile lawmaker minimizing Nazi crimes. Other European far-right parties, such as France's National Rally, have distanced themselves from the AfD, citing the German party's radicalization and differing foreign policy stances, particularly its pro-Russia views.

Adding to this alienation, a town in eastern Germany, Heidenau, recently banned new "Stolpersteine," or "stumbling blocks," which are small brass plaques commemorating Holocaust victims. The Heidenau city council approved this motion on Thursday, September 25, 2026, with support from local branches of the AfD and the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Proponents of the ban argued that placing victims' names on the ground where people could walk over them was inappropriate, suggesting commemorations be moved to a cemetery instead.

The decision in Heidenau has provoked widespread outrage among various groups, including Holocaust survivors, Jewish associations, and political activists, who view it as an attempt to diminish public remembrance of Nazi atrocities. Critics, including the artist behind the Stolpersteine project, Gunter Demnig, emphasize the importance of these memorials being in everyday public spaces to keep history alive. This collaboration between the AfD and CDU has also raised concerns about mainstream German parties breaking the informal "firewall" against the far-right, further intensifying debate over Germany's approach to Holocaust remembrance and the AfD's growing influence.