As the Berlin House of Representatives marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the SPD, Green and Left Party MPs turned their backs on AfD politician Martin Trefzer in a symbolic act of protest during his speech. CDU MPs, on the other hand, maintained their gaze on the speaker, alongside their AfD counterparts.
Trefzer’s speech sparked the backlash, as he claimed it was “fatal” to derive a “new moral superiority complex” from Auschwitz. He argued that the concentration camp’s history was often instrumentalized to immunize “false and dangerous politics” from criticism.
However, the AfD politician also referenced the testimonies of survivors and the “unique treasure” of their stories, citing Margot Friedländer’s memoir “Versuche, dein Leben zu machen” (Attempts to Make a Life). He mentioned “positive heritage” that included the “German-Jewish legacy”.
Friedländer, a vocal critic of the AfD, had previously described the party as a threat and stated she would “never” vote for it.
Exactly 80 years ago, on January 27, 1945, the Red Army liberated the remaining prisoners of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where over a million people, mostly Jews, but also many other groups, were murdered by the Nazis.