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Town reverses Hitler citizenship vote

Tom Bristow
Tom Bristow - [email protected]
Town reverses Hitler citizenship vote
Photo: DPA

A Bavarian town council has decided to strip Adolf Hitler of his honorary citizenship, a week after attracting international attention when a vote to distance itself from the Nazi leader failed.

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As reported by The Local on Monday, members of Dietramszell's council failed to pass a motion last Tuesday distancing themselves from Hitler who was made an honorary citizen of the town in 1933. The council was split with eight votes for and eight votes against.

Normally motions to strip Hitler of the honour in the thousands of German towns who granted him citizenship pass without opposition.

And the failure of the motion attracted widespread criticism and international media attention. 

But in a special meeting on Wednesday the council finally passed a motion which confirmed that Hitler lost his honorary citizenship with his death and recognized that the town had been associated with Hitler.

“It was never our intention to trivialize the crimes of Adolf Hitler. We underestimated that our voting behavior could be understood in such a way,” the council said, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. 

An archivist found Hitler was made an honorary citizen of Dietramszell in March 1933 sparking the vote led by the mayor, which was expected to be a formality.

But the failure to pass the motion provoked outcry in the town and the council admitted the voting result had harmed Dietramszell's reputation.  

The second vote passed unanimously.

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