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The Namibian government on Thursday condemned a German politician’s act of laying a wreath at the grave of a notorious German colonial army officer as “deplorable and disgusting”.
WINDHOEK, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) — The Namibian government on Wednesday condemned a German politician’s act of laying a wreath at the grave of a notorious German colonial officer, calling the move “regrettable and disgusting.”
Sven Tritschler, deputy chairman of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) North Rhine-Westphalia parliamentary group, recently laid a wreath at the graves of German officers from the notorious “Guards,” the official name of the German colonial empire’s colonial forces in African territories from the late 19th century until 1918.
“The Government of the Republic of Namibia condemns in the strongest possible terms this deplorable and disgusting act by Mr. Sven Tritschler,” Penda Nanda, executive director of Namibia’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said in a statement.
Tritschler was visiting Namibia as a member of a parliamentary delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia “to gain an understanding of the situation in the country, to learn about the historical injustices of the colonial period and to determine an appropriate course of action that would allow Germany to confront colonialism and its heinous acts of premeditated genocide against the Herero and Nama peoples,” the statement said.
The Nama and Herero were the two main tribes living in Namibia in the 19th century. In 1884, Germany invaded Namibian territory and established the German South-West Africa colony. In January 1904, the Herero, led by Samuel Maharero, and the Nama, led by Hendrik Witboy, launched an uprising against German colonial occupation.
In response, German General Lothar von Trotha ordered that “every Herero in Germany, whether he has a gun or not, or has livestock or not, will be shot.”
Namibia’s statement on Thursday also condemned the photo of “this disgraceful act” posted by Tritschler on social media X, with the caption: “By the way, the claim that ‘innocent’ Herero and Nama people fell victim to ‘criminal’ German soldiers is historically untenable.”
“The revival of revisionist colonial ideology by some members of the AfD is provocative and unacceptable,” the statement read.
Naanda said that while the German government has not fully atoned for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil, “this act is not only despicable, it has also caused unparalleled pain and suffering to the victims and makes a mockery of all current negotiations to achieve reconciliation.”
“This exposes the utter ignorance and moral depravity of Trichler and his colleagues, and should be firmly condemned and unreservedly rebuked,” the statement said.
According to Namibian authorities, more than 100,000 local residents were killed between 1904 and 1908 as part of a policy of mass extermination initiated by German colonial forces.
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