A town in eastern Germany has approved a motion backed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to prevent the future installation of Stolpersteine, brass plaques commemorating victims of Nazi persecution. The decision was made in Heidenau, near Dresden in Saxony.

The town council voted to stop additional plaques and instead concentrate future commemorations at a memorial site in the town’s northern cemetery. The decision has sparked debate over cooperation between the CDU and AfD, amid Germany’s longstanding political practice of keeping a formal distance from the far-right party.

The move also drew criticism from Jewish community representatives. City officials had recommended against a blanket ban, saying a central memorial could be created without preventing future Stolpersteine. Supporters of the motion argued that the plaques, embedded in pavements, were inappropriate because people could walk over them.

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