Bastian Stock and Janek Treiber on MDR regarding the ban on Stolpersteine in Heidenau

At the end of September, the Heidenau City Council decided that no more Stolpersteine—stones commemorating victims of National Socialism—should be laid in the city. Instead, there will be a central memorial site at a cemetery. This city council resolution has sparked significant controversy and garnered nationwide media coverage. On the one hand, because of its content, and on the other, because it was passed with votes from the CDU and AfD—thus placing it squarely in the midst of the “firewall” debate, which has been fueled by the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin: Should the CDU cooperate with the AfD—and if so, to what extent? Members of both the CDU and AfD parliamentary groups had co-signed the cross-party motion submitted by the Oberelbe Citizens’ Initiative for More Democracy (BOD).

Bastian Stock and Janek Treiber from the Chair of Comparative Politics analyzed the resolution and its implications for Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk:

Bastian Stock spoke live on MDR television’s Sachsenspiegel about the resolution and its impact on the “firewall” debate within the CDU. He analyzed the differences that already exist today between the various levels of the party. The segment is available here.

Janek Treiber discussed the symbolic impact of the decision and possible future developments within the parties. Excerpts from the interview can be heard on the “Sachen-Politik” podcast.