Yesterday, Germany marked the 75th anniversary of the most famous plot to kill late Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, paying tribute to the conspirators who were executed for trying to assassinate him.
Chancellor Angela Merkel attended an annual swearing-in ceremony for some 400 troops before addressing a memorial event in the courtyard of the building where plot leader Col. Claus von Stauffenberg was executed.
[caption id="attachment_66824" align="aligncenter" width="391"]
Claus von Stauffenberg[/caption]
In operation called 'Valkyrie', Von Stauffenberg tried to kill Hitler with a briefcase bomb on July 20, 1944, but a table blocked the full force of the blast and Hitler survived. Von Stauffenberg and his fellow plotters were executed within hours.
Painted as traitors by the Nazis, they are now seen as heroes.
The anniversary ceremony seems to have political implications as Berlin is now vying to face reviving Neo-Nazi movement.
[caption id="attachment_66823" align="aligncenter" width="407"]
Kassel Protests[/caption]
Yesterday also, some 8,000 people took to the streets of Kassel to protest against a neo-Nazi rally in the western German city. The rally comes several weeks after the killing of one of the city's prominent pro-migrant politicians, Walter Lübcke, a supporter of Chancellor Merkel's open refugee policy.
Follow the latest news on Google News
