Background to the current debate
Media reports and the campaign ‘Keffiyehs in Buchenwald’ currently refer to a specific individual case relating to the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 2025.
A German political activist was denied access to the event because she was unwilling to remove her keffiyeh, which she stated she wanted to wear explicitly as a political statement on the anniversary. In summary proceedings, the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court (Thüringer Oberverwaltungsgericht, OVG) upheld the ban on wearing the keffiyeh for this activist.
Safeguarding remembrance
The Buchenwald Memorial is a place of mourning and remembrance for the victims of Nazi crimes. In order to preserve the Foundation's mission, there are house rules.
- Appropriate clothing: In accordance with our house rules, we expect all guests to wear clothing that is appropriate for the location and occasion and does not contradict the mission of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation.
- No stage for political instrumentalisation: In its ruling, the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court made a clear assessment: in this specific commemorative context, the Foundation's interest in upholding its purpose outweighs the right to individual political expression. The grounds of the former Buchenwald concentration camp are not a venue for current political statements, agitation or political conflicts.
- Preserving the dignity of the site: The memorial can deny access to individuals who have made hateful statements or belong to organisations that have made such statements.
- Maintaining a safe environment: The court expressly confirmed that the Memorial does not have to accept the demonstrative wearing of keffiyehs at a commemoration ceremony if this jeopardises the sense of safety of Israeli concentration camp survivors and their relatives. It is the Foundation's duty to maintain the Memorial as a safe space for survivors and relatives of the victim groups.
Our red line: zero tolerance for glorifying terrorism
We are currently observing extremist actors attempting to misuse the Buchenwald Memorial for a hateful agenda. Groups that cheer on the terror of Hamas, glorify the massacres of 7 October as a "great surprise" and deny the State of Israel's right to exist have no place at this site.
When supporters of such ideologies launch calls to misuse the official commemorative ceremonies in Buchenwald for their own purposes by orchestrating the demonstrative wearing of keffiyehs, we will continue to intervene consistently and to prevent this.
Such ideologies contradict the "Oath of Buchenwald" and everything that the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation stands for.
Educational work and open discourse
Despite the determined efforts to defend the commemoration against such attempts of political instrumentalisation, Buchenwald remains a vibrant place of historical and political education. During regular visits or educational trips by school classes, critical, respectful discourse based on the principles of international law is not only possible but expressly encouraged – as long as the dignity of the victims of National Socialism remains intact and no resentment is fuelled, regardless of whether it is anti-Semitic, anti-Romani, anti-Muslim, queerphobic or otherwise hateful in nature. This nuanced educational work forms the indispensable foundation for strengthening our resilient democracy.
