It looks like Senator Obama has decided on Berlin’s “Victory Column” for his big speech, but not everyone is happy about it:
German media has reported the Victory Column is the venue he has decided on.
“The Victory Column in Berlin was resited by Adolf Hitler and was for him the symbol of German superiority,” said Rainer Bruederle, the deputy chairman of the Liberal Party said. “I must question whether Barrack Obama was correctly advised to choose this as a venue for a speech which will set out his vision for world co-operation.”
More from the “Across the Pond” blog:
But Andreas Schockenhoff, deputy head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told Sunday paper Bild am Sonntag: “The Berlin Victory Column is dedicated to the victory over neighbors, who today are our European friends and allies. To me that is an unfortunate imagery.” Rainer Brüderle, deputy leader of the Free Democrats said in the same paper, that the column was moved to its current location by Adolf Hitler. Brüderle added: “For him (Hitler) it was a symbol of German superiority and victorious wars over Denmark, Austria and France. I ask myself whether Obama was well advised to choose the Victory Column as a venue for a speech about his vision for global cooperation.”