Holocaust Survivor Albrecht Weinberg Returns German Honor in Protest

The Auschwitz survivor, aged 99, is giving back his Federal Cross of Merit after a controversial parliamentary vote involving the far-right AfD.

Albrecht Weinberg, a Holocaust survivor and advocate for remembrance, has announced his decision to return his Federal Cross of Merit, which he received in 2017 for his reconciliation efforts.
The decision comes in response to a parliamentary vote where the CDU passed an asylum policy bill with the support of the far-right AfD, sparking concerns about political alignment with extremist parties.
Weinberg, who survived Auschwitz and other concentration camps, expressed that the honor now feels burdensome in light of Germany's perceived political shift to the right.
Weinberg's life has been dedicated to Holocaust education and ensuring that memories of the atrocities remain vivid, including publishing his memoirs in 2024.
This act of protest has drawn significant attention, including from the office of the German President, reflecting broader societal unease about the normalization of far-right influence in German politics.