The Olympiastadion, built for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, stands as a testament to Nazi Germany’s propaganda and the city’s post-war transformation. While the stadium’s dark past is acknowledged through preserved relics and informative signs, some argue for a more prominent reminder of the Nazi atrocities.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has drawn parallels between former President Donald Trump and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, warning that democracy is at stake in the upcoming presidential election. Clinton’s comments come on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, which she used to highlight the importance of protecting democracy. The Trump campaign dismissed her claims, calling Clinton a ‘stone-cold loser’ and accusing her of trying to stay relevant. Biden, seeking re-election, has consistently attacked Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump has defended his actions as protecting election integrity.
A video posted to Donald Trump’s social media account on Monday included references to a ‘unified Reich’ among hypothetical news headlines if he wins the election in November. The word ‘Reich’ is often largely associated with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich, leading to concerns about the potential implications of Trump’s language. The video was posted while Trump was on a lunch break from his Manhattan hush money trial and has since been removed.
Sai Varshith Kandula, a 20-year-old permanent US resident from India, has pleaded guilty to an attack on the White House with the intention of overthrowing the government and establishing a dictatorship inspired by Nazi Germany. Kandula, residing in St. Louis, Missouri, drove a rented truck into the White House’s perimeter on May 22, 2022, aiming to breach security and seize control of the government. Kandula’s motivations, as outlined in his plea agreement, were to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship based on Nazi ideology and to assassinate US officials, including the president. The attack caused substantial financial damage and Kandula is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23.
A long-lost portrait by Gustav Klimt titled “Portrait of Fraulein Lieser” was sold at auction in Vienna for €30 million (US$32 million) on Wednesday, breaking the record for the highest art auction sale in Austria. The painting, one of Klimt’s final works from 1917, was purchased by an unidentified bidder from Hong Kong. The auction was conducted on behalf of the current owners, Austrian private citizens, and the legal heirs of Adolf and Henriette Lieser, who may have commissioned the work. The identity of the model remains uncertain, but it is believed to be a member of the Lieser family. After Klimt’s untimely death in 1918, the unfinished portrait was given to the family who had commissioned it. The Jewish Lieser family was forced to flee Austria after 1930, losing most of their belongings. The painting’s whereabouts between 1925 and the 1960s, including during the Nazi dictatorship, are unclear.
On the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birth, four German citizens were apprehended in Austria after laying white roses at the house where the Nazi dictator was born. The incident occurred in Upper Austria province, where the group, comprising two sisters and their partners, placed flowers at the building’s window recesses, with one individual performing a Hitler salute. The group, from Bavaria, Germany, was apprehended by patrolling officers and questioned at a police station. Investigation revealed Nazi-themed messages and images shared among the individuals’ cell phones. All four individuals now face charges of violating Austria’s law prohibiting the display of Nazi symbols.
