Left-wing extremists desecrate the Wehrmacht monument in Kassel

KASSEL. Left-wing extremists have committed themselves to the attack on the memorial in Kassel Auepark, which, among other things, commemorates the Wehrmacht division of "Großdeutschland". “We felt compelled to take the direct action, because the city of Kassel not only maintains a memorial for fascists and murderers, but even renovates it. Against the background of the strengthening of the new right and their conspiracy-theoretical by-catch, it is all the more important to remember history”, it says in a letter of allegiance that was published on the left-wing extremist scene portal “Indymedia”.

The perpetrators had already smeared the monument with plaster in mid-September and posted slogans such as “Germany must die so we can live”, reported the Hessische Niedersächsische Allgemeine. The damage amounts to around 30,000 euros. In the past six years, the facility was renovated for 3.3 million euros.

The director of the Hessen Kassel Museum Landscape (MHK), Martin Eberle, told the newspaper that he had some understanding for the perpetrators' request. However, it annoys him that those responsible damaged the memorial before it was finished. Because signs would still be put up to comment on the monument. The memorial is "problematic", he emphasized.

Monument also commemorates deserters
MHK spokeswoman Lena Pralle told Junge Freiheit on Thursday that the history of the monument was conveyed on the boards. Erected after the First World War, it initially served as a place of mourning and not to honor the soldiers. It is a "critical place".

The facility in the Karlsaue was expanded several times during the 20th century. In addition to the plaque for the "Greater Germany" division, a memorial plaque has been commemorating deserters since 1985.

The elite combat unit of the German Army, the Großdeutschland division, had been in use during the Second World War since the French campaign in 1940. It fought in the Balkans and in the Soviet Union, among others. It is said to have been involved in war crimes. Soldiers' memorials and memorials for the German victims of the bombing war are repeatedly the target of paint attacks.

Source: Junge Freiheit