Nazi camp memorial says nationalist lawmaker not welcome
Bjoern Hoecke, chairman of the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) in the German state of Thuringia, leads the rally in Erfurt, central Germany on March 16, 2016. Credit: AP
A Nazi concentration camp memorial has rescinded its invitation to a prominent member of a German nationalist party to attend Holocaust Remembrance Day services.
The Buchenwald Memorial's move came after Bjoern Hoecke, Alternative for Germany's leader in the state of Thuringia, made comments suggesting ending the country's tradition of acknowledging and atoning for its Nazi past.
Rikola-Gunnar Luettgenau, deputy director of the Buchenwald Memorial, told the dpa news agency Thursday that it would be "not acceptable" for Hoecke to participate in Friday's ceremony with other Thuringia lawmakers.
Last week, Hoecke called Berlin's Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame" and said Germany should take a "positive" attitude toward its history.
MDR news reports Hoecke still plans to attend the ceremony, telling the memorial "it is not up to you to decide."
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