During the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in the peace hall of the town hall in Münster, a wooden cross that actually commemorates the end of the Thirty Years' War is missing. The Federal Foreign Office explains what parts of the opposition criticize as a "history-forgotten" faux pas with questions of design.
As the organizer of the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers, the Federal Foreign Office had a historic cross removed from the conference venue in Münster. That was part of a larger redesign of the hall, which was discussed by the Federal Foreign Office with the city of Münster, said a ministry spokesman in Berlin. There had been no decision on this at the political level, and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had not dealt with the issue.
Baerbock and her counterparts from the economically strong democracies met on Thursday and Friday in the Peace Hall of the historic town hall, among other places. This is a symbolic place, the Peace of Westphalia was signed there more than 370 years ago, ending the Thirty Years' War.
On a ledge on a wood-panelled wall there is actually a large cross, according to "Westfälische Nachrichten" it is the "Ratskreuz" from the 16th century. On photos of the G7 round from the room, however, it can be seen in the background that the base is empty and the crucifix is missing. The spokesman for the Foreign Office said that a change in furniture is common at such meetings. There would be a different table, different lighting, different carpets.
In the opposition, however, the suspended cross caused outrage. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder asked on Twitter whether "this is the new German foreign policy". "In no other country in the world would this happen..." he wrote. The parliamentary manager of the Union parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei, criticized the television channel "Welt" that the federal government was "tradition and history forgotten." Anyone who has symbols of the Christian faith removed from a meeting room is not cosmopolitan, but obstinate.
In addition to Germany, the G7 group includes France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the USA and Great Britain. Germany will chair until the end of the year and is currently responsible for organizing conferences.
