German NATO troops return from Lithuania over racism allegations

Some 30 German soldiers headed home from Lithuania on Thursday in the wake of alleged racist and antisemitic remarks as well as accusations of sexual violence, the Defense Ministry and a military spokesperson said.

Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer confirmed Wednesday that the entire platoon would return to Germany “with immediate effect.” …

German publication Der Spiegel reported the allegations dating back to a party at a hotel in April.

Soldiers sang racist and antisemitic songs and one also sought to sexually assault another while he was asleep, a scene that was caught on film, according to the news magazine.

Der Spiegel reported that some troops had got so drunk that military police had to be called.

Further investigations uncovered that soldiers had sung a birthday song for Adolf Hitler at an earlier gathering.