German ex-finance minister Schaeuble's grave desecrated, police say

FILE PHOTO: Former German Finance Minister Schaeuble is laid to rest in Offenburg

FILE PHOTO: The graveside of Wolfgang Schaueble is seen following the funeral of Germany’s late former Finance Minister at a cemetery in Offenburg, Germany, January 5, 2024. Philipp von Ditfurth/POOL via REUTERS/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

The grave of former German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was found desecrated on Monday, police in his hometown of Offenburg said.

Cemetery staff found a hole dug in the grave of the conservative politician when they arrived for work. Schaeuble, who died in December, was among Europe's most influential politicians for a quarter of a century.

"An unknown person dug a funnel-shaped hole around 1.20 metres deep," police said in a statement. "It nonetheless appears that they did not get down as far as the deceased's coffin."

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Police said they were investigating but had no indications as to the motive. There has been an uptick in violence against German politicians ahead of European Parliament elections next month.

A political high-flyer who was pipped at the post for the conservative leadership by Angela Merkel, Schaeuble became famous as a fierce guardian of Germany's purse strings who imposed strict bail-out conditions on Greece during the euro zone's debt crisis.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters