A group of politicians from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) in Berlin have proposed to remove a monument to Communist leader Ernst Thalmann, sell it for scrap, and use the money to help Ukrainians during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The local CDU branch filed a request on Wednesday to remove the 14-meter (46 feet) monument from the Ernst Thalmann Park in Berlin. They also asked city officials to assess the value of the material the monument is made from, and see if it can be used “for the benefit of the victims of the Russian attack on Ukraine.”
“It’s unsettling that, in the heart of Berlin, we’re honoring a person who was antidemocratic,” David Paul, a spokesman for the local CDU branch, said. “It’s also about the fact that now we have a war in Europe led by a man who uses democracy as a fig leaf,” he added, apparently referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Paul said the monument was “not entirely worthless,” because, according to him, the sale of bronze could bring between €1.5-2 million ($1.6-2.1 million).