Tue, 21 Jul 2026 Kyiv 18:16Berlin 17:16London 16:16 UKR / DE / EN

Scuffle over AfD wreath at commemoration of Hitler assassination attempt

A wreath laid by the far-right AfD party sparked a physical altercation at the German government's memorial ceremony for the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler.

Scuffle over AfD wreath at commemoration of Hitler assassination attempt
Photo: Tagesschau

A wreath laid by the far-right AfD party sparked a physical altercation at the German government's memorial ceremony for the July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler.

Tobias Korenke, the great-nephew of Nazi resistance fighter Dietrich Bonhoeffer, tried to remove the AfD wreath. Security personnel intervened, and the wreath was damaged in the process. Korenke called the AfD’s wreath-laying at this site an “outrageous lack of taste.”

A party that has been classified as partially right-wing extremist has no place at an event honoring people who gave their lives for the rule of law and human dignity, Korenke told ARD. The AfD parliamentary group confirmed that it had provided the wreath.

AfD parliamentary manager Götz Frömming spoke of an “undignified disruption of the commemoration” and invited Korenke to a discussion about the AfD’s platform and goals. Federal Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) emphasized in her speech that the Bendlerblock is a place where conviction turned into courageous action.

Source: Tagesschau