A pig's head was discovered at the entrance of the Prager House, a Jewish Holocaust memorial site in Apolda, eastern Germany, over the weekend, prompting widespread condemnation and a hate crime investigation.
Mayor Mario Voigt, a member of Germany’s conservative party, denounced the act, stating, “There is no place for antisemitism in Apolda, in Thuringia, or anywhere in Germany.”
Apolda, located approximately 45 kilometers from Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, has recently emerged as a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD secured nearly 33% of the vote in Thuringia’s last election, with similar levels of support in Apolda itself, raising concerns about the political climate in the region.
The Prager House, once home to Jewish fur merchant Bernhard Prager and his family - who were murdered in the Theresienstadt ghetto during the Holocaust - was restored in 2007. It now serves as a center for Holocaust remembrance, Jewish heritage education, and advocacy for peace and coexistence.
The investigation has been handed over to state authorities and is being treated as a politically motivated hate crime. Officials have indicated that far-right extremism is a primary focus, given the region’s political climate, while Islamist involvement has been ruled out due to the use of a pig’s head. Far-left connections are also being considered but are seen as less likely.
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