Neo-Nazis ‘Winning’ in Parts of Germany: Spiegel

Marek Peters / www.marek-peters.com

Neo-Nazis ‘Winning’ in Parts of Germany: Spiegel

Authorities in Germany have failed to squelch neo-Nazism in eastern parts of the nation and the public remains indifferent, Spiegel Online reported Tuesday. “In eastern Germany, the neo-Nazis are winning,” the German publication wrote.

Although raids against German neo-Nazi cells are not uncommon, media pundits say authorities have been unsuccessful in the greater battle against the nation’s right-wing extremism, which has intensified particularly in depopulated rural regions of the east where neo-Nazis organize local youth activities and sports events, and even sit on city councils.

Germany’s center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung explained the severity of the problem, saying, “In eastern Germany non-white minorities make up just 1 percent of the population. Eastern Germany, excluding Berlin, is largely free of foreigners. The biggest success of the neo-Nazis in Germany is not their presence in regional parliaments but this fact: Among immigrants, eastern Germany is seen as a no-go area. The state and the police haven’t managed to change the climate in two decades.”

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency released a report in July saying that while the overall membership of neo-Nazi groups in Germany dropped from 25,000 in 2010 to 22,400 last year, the number of far-right extremists ready to use violence increased from 9,500 to 9,800. So, while the overall numbers may be declining, the number of those radical enough to take up arms is rising.

But, far more significant than these four- and five-digit numbers of extremists, are the millions of Germans who remain silent over the neo-Nazi violence. German society’s reticence over right-wing extremism equates to its tacit approval. German society and politicians commonly ignore the everyday racist violence that has converted many areas in eastern parts of the country into no-go zones for racial minorities. Germany’s general lack of will to eradicate neo-Nazi groups is the massive core of the problem.

The Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel decried the silence of German citizens, saying, “Ordinary citizens still often look away when someone gives the Hitler salute on the village green and calls for a ‘Nationally Liberated Zone.’ By remaining silent, they are relinquishing their own hard-fought freedom.”

To understand the significance of the deafening silence of most Germans regarding far-right violence, read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.