Germany attempts to ban neo-Nazi party amid fears over rising racist attacks

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/01/germany-attempts-to-ban-neo-nazi-party-amid-fears-over-rising-racist-attacks

by Tomte • 10 years ago

14 24 10 years ago

theguardian.com

mpweiher• 10 years ago

But that's the old and busted neo-Nazi party. We now have a new-hotness neo-Nazi party (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD).

Sigh.

actionwords• 10 years ago

weren't the nazis the ones who banned political parties? It seems merkel is being a bit... fascist.

mtmail2• 10 years ago

Please stop comparing the current German government with fascists.

Trying to ban a political party in the open after year (decade?) long preparation is very different from taking all civil liberties (freedom of expression, freedom of press, freedom to assemble) and putting political opponents in prison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree 1933)

TillE• 10 years ago

Indeed. The NPD is stupid enough to be a true wink-wink Neo-Nazi party. To be legally safe in Germany, you can still advocate all the same bigoted policies, you just have to disassociate yourself from the actual Hitler worshipers, and very slightly modulate your rhetoric which incites racial hatred.

mtmail2• 10 years ago

Indeed. Part of the investigation is if the NPD party is even big and relevant enough to cause the harm that it is accused of. Based on the March/3rd questioning I'd say it is, but I'm not following too closely.

rogersmith4• 10 years ago

"They will also seek to prove the NPD is creating a “climate of fear” in Germany and “shares essential characteristics” with the Nazis."

Like most governing political parties all over the world then?

vox_mollis• 10 years ago

This is a great idea. Cutting people off from democratic representation is historically an effective way to reduce violence and insurrection.

rogersmith4• 10 years ago

On the plus side, it sets a nice precedent for governments to ban any party whose opinions they don't like.

It's entirely unlikely that the anti-EU sentiment that fuels the rise of remarketed right-wing parties all over Europe will persist much longer.

hackuser5• 10 years ago

it sets a nice precedent for governments to ban any party whose opinions they don't like.

If so, this precedent has existed for many decades in Germany, which has had this law in place and banned two other parties for the same reason over that time.

It hasn't led to the slipperly slope you fear, in Germany or elsewhere. I think people understand that Nazis in Germany are a special circumstance.

vixen99• 10 years ago

I cannot imagine why you should say this. I'd say the reverse is true.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2016/02/16/europe-sentiment-at-... http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-anti-eu-europe-201... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Europeanism http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/swinging-right-left-anti-eu-s...

Mithaldu2• 10 years ago

This is an attempt only, has been attempted and failed before. And whatever outcome it will have this time, it can be trusted to be just and reasoned, since this case is being held in front of the one court that has historically been responsible mainly for destroying idiotic proposals from german amateur politicians in the pursuit of protecting the german constitution. If this court agrees, then the NPD was in fact a danger to the constitution.

Keep in mind that while many people may have read about this kind of history in books, germans have lived it.

Tomte3• 10 years ago

Yes, the more you hear about the proceedings the more it becomes clear that the entire endeavour is doomed.

Except for... the "trial strategy" of the NPD's lawyer which seems to be inspired by Hans Reiser.

Tomte3• 10 years ago

As I'm always saying in those threads: that whole notion that neonazism is an issue of its own, meriting special treatment, and that democracy must be fortified (please don't look up militant democracy on Wikipedia, both the lemma and the article's content have obviously been written by people who don't know what they're talking about) is something that the United States demanded and forced upon us after WW2.

surprisingly, America never seems to export its own political system and mechanisms when nation-building. I've always found that quite odd.

Zikes• 10 years ago

Justice Minister Heiko Maas also cautioned that “even if the NPD is banned, that unfortunately doesn’t mean there is no more right-wing extremism in Germany”.

Hit the nail on the head right there. Say they ban the NPD, what's stopping the same people from forming another party that's the same in all but name?

Tomte3• 10 years ago

Successor parties are automatically banned, as well.

Of course it's possible to found a completely unrelated neonazi party, but when they miraculously share the top brass, have the same locations for meetings etc. it is pretty obvious.

So it at least puts some administrative and organizational hurdles in the way.

hackuser5• 10 years ago

Remember that the Nazis were elected to the legislature, a minority party, and once they were put in power they ended democracy in order to retain power. Another way to look at it: Would it be acceptable for even a majority, 55% of a nation, to elect a leader who would bring an end to future elections (even, for the sake of example, one who pledged to do it)?

Democracy, which I very strongly favor, does have some weaknesses. As someone said, 'Democracy must be more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.'

Also, Germany, with its history, is in a very unusual situation. Neo-Nazis in power is not an acceptable outcome. They also censor new-Nazi materials.

Germany attempts to ban neo-Nazi party amid fears over rising racist attacks

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