Dresden, Memory, and Skinheads

Over the weekend a major march in Dresden resulted in street violence. The Jungen Landsmannschaft Ostdeutschland (JLO-- Youth National Association of East Germany) intended to use the annual anniversary of the Angl0-American bombing of Dresden as an opportunity to draw attention to their cause. The JLO has been commemorating the 1945 firebombing of the East German city for the past 12 years. They seek to re-frame the historical debate around German guilt for the destruction of WWII. These young neo-Nazis emphasize the suffering Germans experienced during the war.

Over 10,000 counter-protesters showed up to confront approximately 5000 neo-Nazis and formed a human chain around the "brown hordes". Despite the presence of 5000 policemen, violence erupted between neo-Nazis and the "Linksautonomen"--we would refer to them as anarchists here. Ultimately, the Nazis couldn't march.

The image above, from Spiegel Online (Getty Images), shows anti-fascist demonstrators in action behind the police blockade.

Right Wing Violence on the Rise in Germany

Time's Berlin correspondent writes that the German BKA (Bundeskriminalamt) or Federal Criminal Police Office is concerned about a rise in right-wing political violence. "Politically and racially" inspired attacks have topped 20,000--"two to three far-right motivated violent crimes... each day. ... and around three to four anti-Semitic violent crimes each month." These neo-Nazi groups rely on the internet to disseminate their ideas but their attacks are increasingly occuring in public spaces like train stations. Since 1989, neo-Nazi sympathies have been particularly evident in the former East German Laender. The political party to watch out for is the NPD (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands)--there is no question in my mind that it's outlook is distinctly neo-fascist, if not totally neo-Nazi.
Currently, the NPD website advocates a ban on minarets.