Vandalism Targets Holocaust Memorial in Hannover After Remembrance Day

Nine wreaths placed at the Ahlem Memorial were destroyed or stolen, prompting police investigations into the second such incident in two years.

Nine wreaths laid at the Ahlem Memorial in Hannover for Holocaust Remembrance Day were vandalized overnight on January 29, 2025.
The wreaths were either destroyed, thrown into a garden area, or stolen, with surveillance footage capturing the suspected perpetrator.
This marks the second act of vandalism at the memorial in two years; a similar incident occurred after Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2023, involving antisemitic graffiti and destruction of wreaths.
The Ahlem Memorial commemorates victims of Nazi deportations, as the site was historically used to transport Jewish people to ghettos and extermination camps in Eastern Europe.
Local officials, including Regionspräsident Steffen Krach, condemned the act as a disgraceful insult to Holocaust victims and vowed to combat hate and extremism through all legal means.