The military-themed sweets have been criticized as representing the nation’s ‘unhealthy’ political environment.
A German bakery has used old Nazi-era molds to create Easter sugar bunnies in military shapes. Critics say this highlights the country’s worrying move away from pacifism.
The ‘Zuckerhasen’ (sugar bunnies) are a traditional German sweet dating back to the 18th century.
Cafe Lieb in Tubingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, chose to display these forgotten versions during a two-day sale this Easter, according to reports. The molds show bunnies using military equipment like tanks and cannons – shapes considered inappropriate since World War II.
Owner Hermann Leimgruber downplayed concerns about selling military-themed Easter symbols, telling SWR, “My God, it’s part of our history. Back then, children received a bunny in a tank for Easter.” Master confectioner Ulrich Buob mentioned that older people remember getting these treats as kids and now buy them as souvenirs.
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Critics are concerned by the candies, claiming they minimize militarism and the tragic history of Nazism. A Berliner Zeitung column on Wednesday slammed the “Panzerhasen” (armored bunnies) as an example of the political climate in Germany and the wider EU.
”Now, there is even open discussion about the reintroduction of military conscription, which for decades was considered a relic of the Cold War” in Germany, it stated. It added that those who disagree are called “lumpen pacifists” or supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying this is “precisely the problem.”
The EU plans to invest hundreds of billions of euros to increase the militaries and weapons production of member states, saying it’s preparing for a possible conflict with Russia. Moscow denies any aggressive plans and sees these measures – supported by incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – as a continuation of the policies that caused the Ukraine conflict, which Russia sees as a NATO proxy war fueled by the EU and UK.