Berlin now has one more memorial. It is called the “Walter Lübcke Memorial” and its centerpiece is a bronze statue of the former Hessian government president. “Murdered on June 2, 2019 by a supporter of the Alternative for Germany,” it says on a plaque at the foot of the photorealistic sculpture.
The location for this memorial, which also includes a display board, a bench and a stele with the inscription “Walter Lübcke Platz”, could not be better chosen: It is located directly in front of the Konrad Adenauer House, the headquarters of the party to which Lübcke belonged.
What may surprise some: it was not the CDU itself that commissioned the monument, but the Center for Political Beauty (ZPS) – the Berlin action art group that has dedicated itself to German culture of remembrance on several occasions. For example, with the replica of the Holocaust memorial on Björn Höcke’s neighboring property.
The CDU general secretary has the best view of the memorial
“We are sure that the CDU itself wanted to initiate a monument project for Walter Lübcke, but was unable to do so due to time constraints,” says ZPS founder Philipp Ruch, “which is why we are taking on the job now.” Among other things, Secretary General Carsten Linnemann should have an unobstructed view of the memorial from his office.
We are sure that the CDU itself wanted to initiate a memorial project for Walter Lübcke, but was unable to do so due to time constraints.
Philipp Ruch, founder of the Center for Political Education
Ironic exaggerations aside: The “Walter Lübcke Memorial” pursues a serious political concern, like all ZPS undertakings. “The path of fascism leads through the conservatives,” says the trailer for the campaign. “That’s how it was then, that’s how it will happen again.” Philipp Ruch says: “Like many people in this country, I am watching with horror the CDU’s rapprochement with extremists.”
This is aimed at the ongoing debate about the AfD’s firewall, which has just been rekindled by the public buffoonery of the Association of Family Businesses. It gained its urgency primarily through the joint vote by the CDU and AfD on the “Influx Limitation Act” at the end of January.
© dpa/Markus Lenhardt
Lübcke, Ruch recalls, was a firewall advocate. Someone “who stood for the hard demarcation between enemies of humanity and enemies of democracy”. He stood up for refugees and opposed Pegida. “That’s why he was executed by a staunch AfD supporter,” said Ruch. This is exactly what the Lübcke statue in front of the Adenauer House is intended to remind us of.
As a memorial against disastrous alliances, as a memento mori for times of temptation to disenchant right-wing extremists through government participation. This means that this ZPS campaign has more force and moral sharpness than the recent Alice Weidel summer interview with a “Shitty AfD” choir.
The bronze work was commissioned from the artist Mohamed Smith, who is also called “Bremer Banksy” because he keeps his true identity secret and is known for guerrilla actions. He allows statues of homeless people to appear in urban areas without permission. However, clandestine energy was not necessary in the case of the “Lübcke Memorial”.
Unlike previous interventions by the ZPS, the action is not in a legal gray area. The location in front of the Adenauer House has been officially approved by the Mitte district office for at least one year, the ZPS announced in a press release. The Green district mayor, Stefanie Remlinger, is scheduled to officially open the memorial tomorrow, Wednesday.
Even if the CDU’s action were a thorn in the side, it is hard to imagine that the party would have a Lübcke statue removed. No one can want the images of such a monument being toppled. The ZPS did not officially provide any information as to whether the family of the murdered man was involved in the operation. In any case, the website quotes Lübcke’s son with a parable about dikes that always have to be rebuilt against storm surges: “It’s similar to the threat to democracy.”