Germany: More Than 100 Arrested as Clashes Erupt over NPD Conference in Weinheim

More than 100 people were arrested after left-wing protesters clashed with police in Weinheim, Saturday, during a demonstration against the party conference of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) being held in the German town.

Germany: Refugee Train Re-routed due to Far-right Rally at Berlin Airport

Around 20 far-right protesters gathered outside Berlin Schoenefeld Airport where a train with at least 550 asylum seekers was due to arrive on Saturday morning. The demonstration was organised by the German far-right National Democratic Party (NPD). The protesters held banners reading "Asylum deception makes us poor!" and "No to sheltering refugees! We are against!"

Attempt to Pre[-]empt Ban: Far-Right NPD Asks Court to Confirm Its Legality

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany's far-right NPD party has taken the unusual step of asking the country's highest court to confirm its constitutionality in an effort to avert a possible future attempt by the government to outlaw it. Mainstream politicians have dismissed the move as a populist stunt and say it is high time authorities move ahead with their bid to ban the party.

The far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) faces a possible bid to outlaw it on the grounds that it has an extremist manifesto that challenges Germany's democratic constitution. The country's domestic intelligence agency has described it as a "racist, anti-Semitic, revisionist" party bent on removing democracy and forming a Fourth Reich. » | cro – with wire reports | Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Praise for Hitler: Secret Files Build Case for Banning Far-Right Party

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The question of whether to try to ban the far-right NPD party is one of the most controversial issues in German politics. Now the authorities have compiled a dossier of over 1,000 pages in an attempt to prove that the NPD is anti-democratic. The file, which SPIEGEL has seen, provides a shocking exposé of an anti-Semitic and racist party whose members glorify the Nazis.

The stack of paper is thicker than a brick and heavier than the Berlin phone book. It contains 3,051 exhibits and 1,147 pages of classified information.

These pages could soon form the basis for a decision to make a new attempt to ban Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD). Only a little over a week ago, on Aug. 28, German President Joachim Gauck urged such bold action against neo-Nazis during his speech to mark the 20th anniversary of racist riots in the northeastern city of Rostock. Gauck spoke of a state that "is able to defend itself."

Now, this dossier, which has been in its final version since late last week, is supposed to be the weapon in that fight. It is the weapon of a democracy that defends itself against its enemies -- a democracy that is vigilant and alert, not frail and weak.

Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer, who heads the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), wants to deploy this weapon at all costs. He is determined to show decisiveness in the fight against right-wing extremism, and thus add momentum to his campaign ahead of the Bavarian state election in the fall of 2013 -- "if necessary, single-handedly," as he says. By contrast, his fellow party member, Hans-Peter Friedrich, who bears responsibility for the initiative as German interior minister, is afraid that the bid to ban the NPD will be rejected by the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, as happened with a previous attempt to ban the party in 2003. Typically, German Chancellor Angela Merkel remains noncommittal. She is merely observing. » | Hubert Gude and Holger Stark | Monday, September 03, 2012

Prohibition Debate: The Far-Right Threat to Germany's Democracy

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The leaders of Germany's far-right NPD seek to project the party as mainstream and reasonable. In truth, however, the party is a melting pot for racists, Hitler worshippers and enemies of democracy. There are plenty of reasons to ban the party. But would it make the NPD more dangerous than ever? By SPIEGEL Staff

Holger Apfel meets with SPIEGEL in his office in the eastern German city of Dresden, with a view of the Semper Opera House. For this meeting to discuss his right-wing extremist views, he is wearing a gray, midrange suit by Mishumo and socks by Tommy Hilfiger. He appears to have a comfortable body mass index in the region of 30, and his stomach is pressing against the buttons of his blue business shirt. He is soft-spoken and has a slight lisp.
Apfel, who has been the new chairman of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) since November, says that his party finally wants to appeal to ordinary citizens and to address their concerns, fears and hardships. The NPD, he says, is a party that comes from the center of the population and is for the center of the population.

But, in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a very different face of the party is on display -- one that reveals Apfel's rhetoric for the charade it is.

The NPD's office there is on an arterial road in the town of Grevesmühlen. The local branch of the party has its headquarters on a commercial strip occupied by the likes of the local construction yard, a carpet store and a Mercedes dealership. The black, white and red flag of the German Reich flying above the property identifies the NPD office, which is surrounded by a 2-meter (6.5-foot) fence topped with barbed wire. Behind the fence is a watchtower, complete with floodlights, next to a building with bars on the windows.

The Germanic Elhaz rune, the symbol of the Third Reich's "Lebensborn" program, which supported the production of racially pure Aryan children, hangs above the entrance.

Welcome to a building called the "Thinghaus" in Grevesmühlen, the local headquarters of the NPD. (The name is inspired by the old Germanic word for a governing assembly, "thing.") Instead of being located in the midst of the populace, the building is in fact where the National Democrats are still to be found today: on the periphery -- on the periphery of the town, the periphery of society and the periphery of public beliefs.

Most of all, the NPD is also on the periphery of legality. » | Spiegel Staff | Thursday, February 16, 2012

Gefährliches Chaos am rechten Rand
TAGES ANZEIGER: Deutschland streitet weiter über ein Verbot der NPD. Die Rechtsextremen werden derweil immer militanter.

Eigentlich sind sich alle einig: Die Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD) ist eine gefährliche rechtsextremistische Organisation, in der gewaltbereite Neonazis eine Heimat finden. Seit Montag befasst sich der Petitionsausschuss des Bundestags mit einer Eingabe von 175 000 Bürgern, die ein Verbot der Partei fordern – aber noch ohne Ergebnis. Dennoch erklärte der Vorsitzende des Bundestagsinnenausschusses, Sebastian Edathy (SPD), am Montag resigniert, er rechne nicht damit, dass die Grosse Koalition einen Anlauf für ein Verbot nehme. Es fehle den Parteien an der nötigen Einigkeit.

Der Grund dafür: Das Verfassungsgericht hatte 2003 gefordert, dass die Geheimdienste vor dem Prozess ihre Verbindungsleute in der Parteiführung abschalten müssten. Die Innenminister von CDU und CSU befürchten, dass der Staatsschutz dadurch blind würde, und lehnen den Schritt ab. Dagegen erklärte der Berliner Innensenator Ehrhart Körting (SPD), dass die SPD in den von ihr regierten Ländern die V-Leute bereits aus dem innersten Führungszirkel abgezogen habe. >>> Von Sascha Buchbinder, Berlin | Montag, 2. März 2009

NZZ Online: Gross-Razzia gegen rechtsextreme Szene in Deutschland

Die Polizei hat eine bundesweite Gross-Razzia gegen die rechtsextreme Szene in Deutschland gestartet. Mehr als 200 Wohnungen und Geschäftsräume mutmasslicher Angehöriger der rechten Szene in allen Bundesländern wurden durchsucht. >>> sda/afp/dpa | Mittwoch, 4. März 2009

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Hitler Salutes, Nazi Songs and Dreams of a New Reich
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Uwe Luthardt was a senior member of the right-extremist NPD. But he quit after three months. In an interview, he describes the NPD as a deeply radical party where Hitler salutes and financial irregularities are common -- and which is bent on restoring the German Reich. >>> | Mittwoch, 25, Februar 2009

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