Remembering Alexander Futran. This Gedenkstein honors a man who stood against injustice. It marks a dark chapter in Köpenick’s history. This is the Gedenkstein Alexander Futran Stele.
Alexander Futran was born in Odessa in 1877. He was a USPD city councilor. He organized resistance against the Kapp Putsch. Right-wing soldiers murdered him in 1920.
Futran studied in Berlin. He also studied in Munich and Karlsruhe. He founded an engineering office with his brother Simon.
In 1914, Futran joined the Bund Neues Vaterland. This pacifist organization wanted to end World War I quickly. As a Russian citizen, he was interned for a time due to the war.
By 1917, Alexander Futran became chairman of the USPD in Köpenick. He was also elected city councilor. He often spoke at “Klein’s Hotel”. This is now the Stadttheater Köpenick. Thousands listened to Futran’s speeches. He was a popular and well-educated speaker.
In March 1920, the Kapp Putsch threatened the Weimar Republic. Köpenick was indecisive. Futran helped organize armed resistance. He formed a Socialist Defense Committee. It consisted of about 1,000 armed workers.
On March 19, a false phone call claimed the putsch was over. Futran ordered the militia to disband. Reichswehr soldiers marched into Köpenick two days later. They sported swastikas on their helmets.
The soldiers summoned Alexander Futran to the town hall. They subjected him to a court-martial. On the same day, they shot him in the courtyard of the Bötzow Brewery. The putschists celebrated with a cruel saying.
The Gedenkstein Alexander Futran Stele stands as a reminder. Futran was murdered for opposing the coup. In 1947, the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz was renamed Futranplatz. A stone remembers Futran. It calls him “Our workers’ leader who was murdered in the Kapp Putsch on March 21, 1920”.
Alexander Futran’s legacy lives on. He fought for justice. He stood against oppression. His sacrifice should never be forgotten. The Gedenkstein Alexander Futran Stele honors his courage and commitment. It reminds us to stand up for what is right.