German government wants monument for gays persecuted by Nazis
 

BERLIN, July 2 (AFP) - Germany's centre-left coalition government has
submitted plans to erect a monument to homosexuals persecuted under the
Nazi
regime, officials said on Wednesday.
Johannes Kahrs of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Volker Beck of the
Greens
said their parties had submitted the proposal to parliament.
"We want to honour the persecuted and slain victims, uphold the memory
of
the injustice and send a lasting signal against intolerance, hostility and
discrimination against gays and lesbians," they said in a statement.
The idea of a monument was enshrined in the coalition agreement drawn up
by
the SPD and Greens after their re-election last September.
Historians estimate that about 100,000 homosexuals were arrested under
Adolf Hitler's 1933-1945 regime, about half of whom served prison terms.
Up to 15,000 are believed to have been sent to concentration camps.