Better late than never: German town votes to strip Hitler of honorary citizenship title

Sixty-eight years after the end of World War II, a town in northern Germany has belatedly voted to strip Adolf Hitler of his honorary citizen’s title.

Goslar town councilors adopted a motion on Tuesday to remove Hitler’s name from the honorary citizenship roll.

The decision must be confirmed by the town’s administrative council on October 29.

Around 4,000 cities, towns and communities bestowed the honorific title on Hitler during the 12 years of Nazi rule.

Many erased his name from their list immediately after the fall of the Third Reich in 1945. But others, like Goslar, kept the Fuhrer on the books, either through oversight or a belief that what happened in the past can’t be changed.

Among the opponents to Goslar council’s decision is Social Democratic Party head Sigmar Gabriel, who was born in the town in Lower Saxony state.

The center-left leader believes Hitler’s name should be left on the list because removing it "is an attempt to whitewash something that can't be whitewashed."