A far-left extremist group have desecrated a memorial to soldiers who fought in the First World War in Hamburg, painting over parts of the monument to make it state “Germany must die”.
The far-left group “Antikoloniale Attacke” (Anti-Colonial Attack) took responsibility for the attack on the memorial on Twitter on Monday writing, “Our goal is to strengthen the ability of migrants to act and places in Germany characterized by colonialism stand in our way.”
“What do you think of honouring colonial rulers and soldiers while denying justice to their victims and descendants?” they added.
During the attack on the monument, which was built in 1936 to remember the soldiers who fought in the First World War, the far-left extremists painted over several words on a slogan that read “Germany must live if we have to die” to make it state “Germany must die”.
Alexander Wolf, deputy chairman for the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), condemned the attack, saying: “The far-left attack is an attack on our history, including the dignified remembrance of the fallen. In addition to the crude left-wing ideology, there is unacceptable damage to property, which will hopefully be punished.”
The Hamburg monument has been the subject of controversy in recent months, with the Social Democrats and the Green Party in Hamburg calling for it to be redesigned.
Social Democrat Regina Jäck claimed that the monument glorified war and was a meeting place for neo-Nazis.
The war memorial is not the only piece of German history in Hamburg that has become a source of controversy, however. A large statue of former German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is also set for a possible redesign.
In June, the city announced it would be holding a competition featuring African scientists and artists to “contextualise” the statue of the former German chancellor.
The Bismarck statue also became a target for Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors last year, and progressive pastor Ulrich Hentschel suggested the city simply behead the monument.