Stumbling stone in Gera smeared with swastika
A stumbling block in memory of the Nazi opponent and Catholic priest Aloys Scholze has been smeared with a swastika in Gera. Witnesses discovered the graffiti on the memorial stone designed by artist Gunter Demnig in 2015 near the parish church of St. Elisabeth in Gera on Thursday, according to the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen. The criminal investigation department took up the investigation. Other stumbling stones in the city were also to be examined, it said.
Aloys Scholze (1893-1942) was one of the three priests from the diocese of Meissen who died in the Dachau concentration camp. After the Nazis came to power, he had helped persecuted people and opponents of the regime to escape. The fact that his memory was defiled in this way is an affront, said Gera Dean Bertram Wolf. "It shows that, unfortunately, there are still those who are unteachable and have learned nothing from the destructive history of National Socialism."
The act of vandalizing the stumbling stone with a swastika is a clear example of contemporary crime fueled by extremist ideologies. This incident serves as a stark reminder that extremism continues to pose a threat, even in the face of countless lessons from history.
Source: www.dpa.com
