German Jews warn of neo-Nazi role in poor regions
Neo-Nazi paramilitary groups have gained strong footholds in economically depressed parts of Germany.
By ReutersNeo-Nazi paramilitary groups have gained strong footholds in economically depressed parts of Germany and are gaining a voice through far-right political parties, Germany's top Jewish body said on Wednesday.
The National Democratic Party (NPD), which some have compared to Hitler's Nazis, won seats in a regional election in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sunday, sparking renewed calls for it to be banned.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has backed these calls. But its secretary-general Stephan Kramer said a ban on the party alone would not stamp out anti-foreigner sentiment in parts of Germany where paramilitary groups or "Kameradschaften" played a dominant role.
"The neo-Nazis dominated the grass-roots level long ago," Kramer told reporters at a news conference with other anti-Nazi campaigners.
"They are successful in villages which have no work, no shops and no social clubs any more. Normal citizens are increasingly accepting, even understanding, of their efforts."
Although some members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition have advocated trying again to ban the NPD, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he was opposed.
Politicians had been slow to pick up on the changes in how the NPD operated in recent years, Kramer said. He also noted the influence of neo-Nazi groups was not limited to the east.
"Nobody can ignore this problem any more," Kramer said. "It is not just an east German problem. We have to stop pointing the finger at the east and realize that this is a pan-German issue."
By working closely with the paramilitary groups, the NPD won over 7 percent of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Sunday, having barely registered in council elections two years earlier, anti-Nazi campaigner Guenther Hoffmann noted.
Local influence Kramer called on the government to increase funding for grass-roots anti-neo-Nazi campaigns and broaden their scope from the formerly communist east to other parts of the country.
The closest the NPD ever came to entering national parliament was in the 1960s, when Germany was still divided.
Recent attempts by extremists with anti-foreigner views to buy up property in the west of the country show the far-right is building up its physical presence in communities in the west.
"There are even initiatives in some communities where the right-wing radicals are campaigning for new pavements or the protection of wildlife in order to win votes but then are slipping in their political views through the back door," Kramer said.
The victory in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the NPD won six seats, means that far-right parties are now present in three of the six eastern German state assemblies. The parties have no influence in national politics and they are comparatively small compared to similar movements in France or the Netherlands. But Germany's Nazi past and its responsibility for the Holocaust make their popularity particularly controversial.
The number of neo-Nazi attacks in Germany rose to 959 in 2005 from 776 in the previous year, and would likely rise again in the current year, Kramer said.
German gov't threatens to halt funding of anti neo-Nazi projectsSome 400 projects dedicated to fighting extreme right wing and Nazi groups in Germany are in danger of losing their funding, the German publication Suddeutsche Zeitung reported on Wednesday.
The ministry of family affairs in Germany has decided to change its policy regarding the ongoing battle against the extreme right. Those involved in the battle feel the policy change could "push East Germany back five years" in its struggle against extremism.
The ministry of family affairs has been funding some 1,500 projects under the umbrella movement "Youth for Tolerance and Democracy" since 2001. The ministry allotted 19 million euros every year for these projects up until now.
The federal government in Germany is now expressing a desire to pull out of these projects, and place the entire burden of funding on the individual districts and municipalities.
However, it is unlikely that the poor Eastern Germany districts would be able to procure the necessary resources. Some local authorities have even announced they do not wish to participate in these projects.
The ministry of family affairs is planning to divide the budget for these projects into individual mini-budgets, which the local authorities would be required to provide. As a result of this reform, many of the projects will be forced to shut down.
Among the better known anti neo-Nazi programs is the "Exit" project, which assists neo-Nazi youth in breaking away from their social environment. The project helps teens deal with the fear of losing social acceptance as well as fear of violent reactions from their former friends.
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Poverty breeds extremism, and social disorder. You are going to see more extremism and disorder Because "Free Trade" increases poverty.
Of course to be anti-Israel doesn’t mean to be anti-Semite. The open Israeli society alone is a good example, or the often critical commentaries in Haaretz. However hate mail was addressed in big numbers not to the Israeli embassy but to the Jewish community, the war only being a pretext. The violent confrontation between Jews and Arabs in Palestine is a welcomed pretext for many Germans to make their shoulders a little bit lighter. I understand this, they have very much to drag on, indeed.
If you confuse anti-zionism with anti-semitism, then you must be very afraid of the future. Anti-zionism is growing in leaps and bounds over the entire globe due solely to the vicious intentions and actions of zionists.
"One reason for that "hatemail" in general may also be, that they mingle into every affair, that they like, inm their special way, also things that have absolutely nothing to do with being Jew or the history of Jews in Germany." I think that's just what Jonathan is hinting at: You want the Jews not to participate in German society. Or what part of society does not concern the Jews? Health politics? Economics? etc. I don't know what you mean by "very special way", but I'd say that this might probably just be a perception of cultural difference of Jews and Germans, that is due to different education, religion and/or historical consciousness. It is the difference that you do not grant them if you grant it anybody else in our oh so liberal society.
"70 percent against Israel in the last war, thats anti-semitism?" Well, of course it is. How else would you call denying the Jewish people the right to defend itself? Charity? It's pure, unadulterated, vicious anti-semitism. No two ways about it.
They were both very activ moralists. Grass had the longer tradition, but Friedmann was some sort of "machine gun moralist", and, nonetheless, his name was mentioned as possible successor of Spiegel. The weapon SS is not Koks and sex with sexslaves, but do you want to say that Grass did kill Jews? I met Bubis some days before his death and he said, that he thinks he has moved nothing. This is not true, the memory is activ, but he could not change the world, Fassbinder was right as well. IMHO the main problem of "Jews in Germany" is that they try to speak with one voice, there are many.
70 percent against Israel in the last war, thats "anti-semitism"? Come on! One reason for that "hatemail" in general may also be, that they mingle into every affair, that they like, inm their special way, also things that have absolutely nothing to do with being Jew or the history of Jews in Germany. On the other hand, Mrs Knobloch is a very special case. She has a "karma" to raise "hate", but I wouldnt call this "anti-semitism" as well, she is just a very special person. Anyway, everybody is concerned about the votes, but this sort of "Nazis" share not much more than the name with the original "Nazis" between 33 and 45. A certain protest movement, would not think that they are very political, they are mostly angry and see no sense in democracy. They ask themselves, why they should vote and then try to make as much noise as possible. Imagine Olmert would say "I am Superolmert", would that convince you? But thats the way politics are made today in Germany. Remember "Supeer" Steinbrueck?
Dear friends There is nothing to worry about. If Germany once again...............................
by banning things you cause them to...fester speak with these people and learn If they are continually repressed, you are doing just the opposite of what you wish to accomplish
If they were paramilitaric or related to nazistuff they would be forbidden before one can count to three, thats what german officials are waiting for so long to prove them violations of this sort, so this article exagerates a lot in this point. Any sort of extremism or nacism is prohibited here and gets punished draconic immediately, so how could they?
If you ask the Central Council of Jews in Germany, they will tell you that anti-Semitism has reached a new stage in Germany. The council is receiving many hate mail letters every day (during the war on Hizbullah about 200 daily). But these letters came not from poor people or from disadvantaged regions. They came from well-educated people of the middle-class, many giving full names and addresses. The Lebanon crisis was refreshing in the sense, that it showed to the Jewish community very clearly their standing in the German society. About 70% of Germans were against Israel and they took the whole Jewish community –even those that were opposed to Israel’s actions- as a hostage of Israel’s policies. Anti-Semitism never stopped in Germany, it is not a phenomenon of former Eastern Germany but it is deeply present in all faces of German society. That Nobel laureate and writer Guenther Grass revealed that he has cheated his readers for 60 years about his Nazi past is also part of the problem, which is very complex indeed.