German fascists threaten opponents with violence

January 19, 1994
Issue 

By Mary Merkenich

BOCHUM - A 17-year-old pupil in Aurich, in the state of Niedersachsen, has had to go into hiding and receive police protection after neo-Nazis terrorised him and his family. This pupil is among 250 German citizens who, because of their opposition to the growing neo-Nazi movement or their involvement with migrants or progressive groups, are listed on a neo-Nazi "hit list".

This hit list, called "Einblick" (Insight), gives addresses, telephone numbers and car registration numbers, and describes the habits, family members and even pets of so-called "anti-Germans". It calls on its readers to crush antifascist and left groups as well as to attack individuals accused of anti-German activities, of "race mixing" and "bastardisation".

Although the actual killing of individuals is not openly advocated, the authors of "Einblick" suggest that people on the hit list be "taken care of". For the pupil from Aurich, this meant threatening phone calls, physical injury, cut car tyres, a demolished motorcycle and swastika graffiti on the family home.

A full-time organiser of the German Union Federation (DGB) in Wilhelmshaven, Wilfred Klopper, is also on the hit list. His 16-year-old daughter has twice been beaten up by skin heads so badly that she had to be admitted into hospital. On December 1 he received a letter containing an empty cartridge.

In Torgau, an east German city, 30 masked neo-Nazis carrying sticks broke up a PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism) meeting, burned a flag and chanted "bloody death to the PDS". In another small east German city, Sonnewalde, the newly elected PDS mayor, Gunter Lorenz, who was elected with 68.2 % of the votes, received a Nazi letter threatening his life.

At the University of Duisburg in the Ruhr Valley, an "open" letter was sent to at least 19 university workers denouncing other colleagues and students for having had abortions, being gay or migrant. In another pamphlet circulated at the same university, the authors conclude with the words, "If we dispose of five Turks today, we'll save ourselves having to murder 50 Turks in 15 years' time".

The number of attacks on handicapped people has also increased, and security forces and media believe these are also encouraged by fascists.

These are only a few examples of an organised terror campaign, which in Austria reached the point of letter-bombs. One television presenter had her thumb blown off, the mayor of Vienna narrowly escaped death and had several fingers blown off, and a lawyer's secretary was seriously injured.

Even right-wing activists are warned in the "Einblick" that if they oppose or resist the present campaign, they will make themselves suspect of being a provocateur.

The reaction of German security officials and government politicians has been to play down the whole thing. For example, in Bochum and Dortmund, two other Ruhr Valley cities, about a year ago, psychological and other terror against left-wingers lasted several months, until the police arrested a group who, according to the police, had enough explosives to blast away half of Bochum. This group was shortly afterwards set free again.

Although the security forces have known since June that an organised campaign existed to collect information about citizens with the goal of threatening, attacking and intimidating them, they publicly deny that the neo-Nazis are well or centrally organised.

A few CSU (Christian Social Union, the sister party of the ruling CDU) have even stated that the right-wing radicals are no threat. The bigger threat, they warn, comes from the PDS and the Greens. They have suggested the PDS should be banned!

While most of the media took the issue seriously, the magazine, Der Spiegel, once viewed as progressive, also played down the intimidation and threats from the neo-Nazis. Under the heading "Eyes in the Back of your Head", the article portrays the situation as one of left-wing and right-wing extremists spying on and fighting with each other.

This ignores the fact that the overwhelming number of people on the hit list are people singled out merely because they have published articles or books against fascist ideas, publicly supported the banning of fascist organisations, demonstrated against the neo-Nazis, hold left-wing or feminist ideas or are actively involved with migrants or refugees.

The people on the hit list issued a press statement detailing the situation and concluding: "We stand by our ideals of a prejudice-free, democratic and humane society and retain the intention to defend these ideals".

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