stumbling blocks (Stolpersteine)

A small town in eastern Germany has banned the installation of new 'Stolpersteine' — brass memorial plaques known as 'stumbling blocks' that mark the last known residence or workplace of Jews and other victims of the Holocaust. The decision has prompted widespread outrage in Germany and beyond, with critics calling it a setback for Holocaust remembrance and a worrying sign of shifting attitudes toward memorial culture in parts of the former East Germany.