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Neo-Nazis to hold gathering in Berlin

After being rejected twice by lower courts, neo-Nazis win Supreme Court case allowing them to assemble in Berlin. Municipal bodies already preparing for protest rally
Gil Yaron

The neo-Nazis are back in Berlin. A radical right-wing party in Germany won a Supreme Court case allowing the NPD party to hold an assembly in a Berlin function hall. This comes after their request to hold the assembly was twice rejected in lower courts.


Berlin's Supreme Court ordered the city's Reinickendorf neighborhood to provide the National Democratic Party (NPD) with a hall with space for 700 people to hold its convention. Some 265 legates and 350 guests are expected to attend the gathering, during which the neo-Nazi party plans to elect a new chairman.

Lately the NPD has been gaining popularity and Germany, which was evident after it scored a relative victory in local elections which gave five of its representatives parliamentary seats in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.



The party�s original request to hold the convention was refused by the Reinickendorf city council, which cited it as �a threat to public safety.� However, the court rejected the council's claim, ruling that the convention could take place under the �party equality� law.



Following the court ruling, all factions of the city council are organizing protest rally with over 2,000 expected participants. Various organizations have already announced additional protests.



In the meantime, calls to outlaw the NPD are gaining force, especially considering the court victory as well as a recent study showing increasingly widespread support in Germany for radically right-wing ideas.


The appointed head of interior affairs in Berlin said in response that �in light of our history, the neo-Nazi party has nothing to look for in Germany.� German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble declared his intention to work with even greater vigor against the radical elements.


Just a few days ago German police arrested 16 people after neo-Nazis disrupted commemorations of Kristallnacht in an east German town.



Austria: Lawmaker�s pro-Nazi comments slammed

In Austria, meanwhile, politicians condemned a right-wing lawmaker for making positive comments about Nazi policies.


Wolfgang Zanger, a lawmaker for the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria, said in a television interview late Tuesday that "of course there were good sides to National Socialism, we just don't hear about them anymore." Zanger commended the Nazi party for reducing unemployment and launched infrastructure projects.


Social Democrat lawmaker Norbert Darabos on Wednesday called Zanger's words "Scandalous and wholly unacceptable."


Salzburg Governor Gabi Burgstaller, also a Social Democrat, said Zanger should resign. "Such delegates aren't wanted in the Lower House of Parliament," she said.


Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache distanced his party from the comments, saying in statement that "the condemnation of National Socialism ... like any other criminal world view is totally without question for the (party)."



The Freedom Party went on to accuse other parties, particularly the Austrian People's Party, of pointing fingers while neglecting to deal with their own history. The Greens, the People's Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria, echoed the Social Democrats' condemnation.

Germany: 16 arrested for disrupting Kristallnacht memorial

Police arrested 16 people after neo-Nazis disrupted commemorations of Kristallnacht in an east German town, officials said Friday

Associated Press
Published: 11.10.06, 11:54

Police arrested 16 people after neo-Nazis disrupted commemorations of Kristallnacht in an east German town, officials said Friday.

Police in Frankfurt an der Oder said the rioters tore up floral wreaths Thursday night and threw away candles placed on a memorial stone for the city's synagogue, which was destroyed by the Nazis.

Some shouted "Sieg Heil" As officers moved in to arrest them, police said. Those detained were between 16 and 24 years old.

On Nov. 9, 1938 - Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass - Adolf Hitler's Nazis attacked Jewish homes and businesses throughout Germany in a prelude to the Holocaust.

Neo-Nazis remain a fringe group in Germany, where their views repel most people. But recent electoral successes by the far-right National Democratic party, which has won seats in two regional legislatures, have caused widespread concern and calls for more effective measures against extremism.

SORRY ABOUT THIS THREAD - I meant to post it in TOWN HALL, not Church News.

Father Antony, (bless) - I sent you a private message to move this thread to the correct board. Sorry Again.

Study: 15 percent of Germans claim superiority

New study reveals that extreme right-wing ideology, anti-Semitism popular among current German population; 14 percent believe Jews cheat in business; 35 percent express blatant xenophobia; 28 percent believe Germany should regain world status with force

Gil Yaron
Published: 11.09.06, 01:12

A new study conducted for the German Friedrich Ebert Fund reveals that the anti-Semitic views, sense of superiority, the yearning for a strong government and the hatred of foreigners are still very strong among the German population. The researchers revealed that about 15 percent of those polled believe that the Germans have a natural superiority in comparison to other peoples.


The study was conducted by two professors from the University of Leipzig who questioned 5,000 Germans in an attempt to study their level of agreement to opinions held by the extreme right. Twenty eight percent of the participants longed for Germany to return to be a major player in the world scene and think they must use force in order to �reach the position they deserve.� About eight percent are convinced that the crimes of the Nazis are grossly exaggerated.


What is mostly concerning is the longing the Germans have for darker days: Nine percent support turning Germany into a dictatorship, 15 percent are convinced that "a tyrant is better than a democracy," and 26 percent of them hope for a system of government which a single popular party will represent the entire nation.


The study also found that 27 percent of those surveyed reflect positions of hatred towards foreigners. As an example, 35 percent agree with the statement that "foreigners come to Germany only to exploit it." In eastern Germany, the poorer part of the country controlled by the communists for 50 years, 44 percent answered positively to that question.


Education doesn't cure anti-Semitism

As to anti-Semitism, the findings are extremely worrying: Ironically, the highest anti-Semitic sentiment was found in the more developed western part of Germany, where various education systems were implemented in order to combat the problem. It seems that anti-Semitism is most prevalent in the richest provinces such as Bavaria and Nordrhein-Westfalia, where 10 percent of the participants expressed anti-Semitic sentiments, whereas in the eastern parts only four percent supported anti-Jewish statements.


According to the study, 18 percent of Germans believe that the Jews, who today only number 120,000 in Germany, have too much influence, 14 percent believe that Jews are more inclined to cheat in business, and 14 percent think they are simply different and are not fit to live in Germany.


Two groups dominated the anti-Semitic views: The elderly and the unemployed. In addition, the study also found that a feeling of political powerlessness was more important to the development of right-winged positions than economic strife. The anti-Semitism is less prevalent as the level of education goes up, and among women.


However, the researchers indicate that education alone does not give immunity from the false magic of extreme right-wing ideology. In addition, affiliation to specific political parties or a particular church did not prevent people from holding extreme right wing ideologies.


For these reasons, the researchers are convinced that it is not enough to employ intelligence and legislative programs, but also widespread actions in order to eradicate the right-wing phenomena in Germany.