Namibia labels German politician's act at colonial officer's grave "deplorable and repugnant"

Executive Director of the Namibian Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Penda Naanda called the act "deplorable and repugnant" in a statement issued on Thursday, August 1.

The incident involves Sven Tritschler, a member of a parliamentary delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), who was in Namibia to learn about the country’s history of colonial injustices and to explore ways for Germany to address its colonial past, including the genocide against the Herero and Nama people, Sierra Leone Times reports.

In a social media post on X, Tritschler shared a photo of himself at the grave, captioned: "Incidentally, the narrative of the 'innocent' Herero and Nama population who fell victim to 'criminal' German soldiers is historically untenable." 

The Namibian government described this post as part of a "dishonourable act" and condemned it as an attempt to rehabilitate revisionist colonial ideologies.

"Such acts by members of the AfD are provocative and unacceptable," the statement read. Naanda emphasised that while the German government has yet to fully atone for the genocide committed on Namibian soil, Tritschler's actions are "despicable and dishonourable" and evoke profound pain and suffering for the victims. He called for the act to be "resolutely condemned and denounced unreservedly."

According to the Namibian government, over 100,000 local people were killed between 1904 and 1908 as a result of a mass extermination policy initiated by German colonial troops.