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Nazis march again in Berlin
(Jan. 12th 2001)
Anti-Fascist Action Sweden Press release
ANTI-FASCIST ACTION-SWEDEN
Anti-Fascistisk Aktion-Sverige
Box 38196
100 64 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46-739 98 01 59 [new]
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.motkraft.net/afa
- Tuesday, 4 December 2001 -
BERLIN: HUGE NAZI MARCH 12/1/2001
Extremist National Democratic Party NPD had called for a huge march
in
Berlin on Saturday, Dec 1, 2001 to protest against the re-opening
of an
exhibition showing the crimes of German Wehrmacht in Southern and
Eastern
Europe during World War II. After some serious flaws had been noticed
in
1999, the exhibition has been worked over thoroughly. The first
exhibition
saw 800,000 visitors in numerous German cities from 1995-1999 and
there
were Nazi protests against the exhibition in every city it was shown;
but
also representatives of Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social
Union
then protested against the exhibition with a rhetoric differing only
slightly from that used by outright fascists. The exhibition now
reopened
in Berlin on Tuesday last week.
The NPD march was planned since long and authorities claimed there
was no
chance of banning the march since NPD was a legal political party
(although
legal actions for a ban of the party are under way since earlier this
year.
NPD and its youth organization JN apparently are being used as a legal
cover by other Nazi organizations, like e.g. the so-called 'Freie
Kameradschaften' [free comradeships] operating as autonomous cells,
benefitting from NPD's legal status to facilitate events and marches).
It became known that NPD intended to march through so-called
'Scheunenviertel' in Berlin, a neighbourhood with a high percentage
of
Jewish citizens up to the Nazi reign. The Nazi march thus was going
to pass
the Berlin Synagogue which escaped destruction in the Night of Pogroms
on
November 9, 1938 and which opened up again after the war. According
to all
information available, that route had received an okay by Berlin
police.
NPF rallied its clientele from all over Germany and Nazis were
traveling
to
Berlin in chartered buses and trains. The number of Nazi participants
reported by media varies between 3,000 and 3,500. Authorities had
issued a
list of 'don'ts' during negotiations with NPD prior to the march,
like a
ban on Nazi regalia, Doc Marten's boots, and the use of several Nazi
slogans. The bans were not enforced thoroughly by Berlin police who
detained only some 17 Nazis for these reasons. Antifa observers report
many
Nazi participants taking part without hindrance despite their clearly
not
observing the bans issued.
The route planned caused many protests. Apparently, Berlin police
had
agreed on a different route during negotiations with NPD bosses as
early as
November 6 so that the Nazi march would not get near the neighbourhood
and
the synagogue. Police, however, decided to keep the change of the
route a
'top secret' matter; some media mentioned this was done on requests
by NPD.
Berlin police leadership claim they informed the Jewish community
about the
altered route already during the week which is strongly denied by
representatives of the community. Police claim they informed them
in order
to prevent any attempts of 'demonstrative actions in front of the
synagogue' by community members. Several members of the community
and
rabbis took a stand outside the synagogue on Saturday to defend it
during
the Nazi march and try and block the Nazi route.
Several counterprotests were allowed by Berlin authorities and there
were
several meeting points around the original route of the Nazi march.
The
info about the route having been altered leaked out Friday, but police
refused to give any comment. A spokesperson of Berlin police
commented:
"The NPD demonstration could probably take place as planned
originally,
but
then again it may not." Police even took up investigations against
unknown
parties for disclosure of secret matters, but had to call this off
when it
became apparent that Berlin Senator of the Interior Herr Koerting
himself
was the one to pass word to the media.
The number of participants in counterprotests again varies between
4,000 to
8,000 or even more. Participants reported that huge areas were heavily
cordoned off by police, four underground stations were blocked with
trains
passing without stop, and massive controls and harassment of persons
trying
to get to gathering points of counterprotests.
According to info from participants, a march with some 4,000
protesters
was
on its way on a route previously agreed upon with Berlin police. After
a
few hundred metres, when this march was near the synagogue, they got
stopped by Berlin police who seemed to be decided on applying a
strategy
of
absolute escalation. Without any detour offered, the demo was stopped
short
by chains of riot police, water cannon trucks, and armoured vehicles
and
told to dissolve. When a few stones were thrown from behind, police
immediately attacked the crowd with water cannon trucks and CS gas
(a
newsshow on a state TV channel even reported pepper spray having been
used
against counterprotesters), endangering the huge number of elderly
participants and families with children, especially as the crowd was
not
able to make an escape into adjacent streets and given the cold
temperatures.
The crowd was forced back several hundred metres, stopped almost in
front
of the synagogue and regathered. A newspaper today reports: An elder
gentleman in front of the synagogue had tears in his eyes, a riot
cop
advanced right in front of him, looking down at the old man with a
face
showing no emotions at all. The old man shouted at the cop: 'I have
got a
right to be here'.
Police attempted to cut the electrical wires of the sound system on
a truck
accompanying the counterprotest march, which was answered with a few
stones
again by some protesters. Police once again reacted with massive shots
from
watercannon trucks and CS gas.
In front of the synagogue, several members of the congregation sat
resp.
knelt down on the street, including the rabbi and a protestant
minister;
they were joined by a groups of protesters. Riot police advanced and
dragged people away by their hair, they were also hitting them with
fists
and kicking them (this was also shown on TV news) while protesters
stayed
non-violent. TV news showed a riot officer attacking a protester with
fists
and kicking him while that person sat on the ground, when the
protester
finally got up and tried to escape, he ran after him, kicking him
all the
time until he fell down. Other officers were standing by and merely
looking
at the scene. Police made certain, however, not to touch any members
of the
Jewish congregation during their attack who shouted at the officers:
'Shame
on you!'
As an reaction to the massive police attacks, several protesters
damaged
three police cars parked in front of the synagogue by turning them
over.
The Nazi march passed this scene in several hundred metres distance.
Their
march was led by NPD chairperson Udo Voigt and NPD lawyer Horst Mahler
(member of former Marxist Red Army Faction who did time for taking
part in
terrorist assaults; he converted to Nazi convictions a few years ago).
The
Nazis carried pickets reading 'My grandfather was no murderer', 'Glory
and
Honour to our Wehrmacht soldiers', shouting slogans in which they
attacked
the organizers of the exhibition. The Nazi march was heavily protected
by
Berlin police who also used helicopters (were they expecting any air
attacks??).
The Nazis were also transported from their gathering point to the
starting
point of their march and back again with trains belonging to Berlin
Underground - for free!
During the rally at the end of the Nazi march, the slogan 'Glory and
Honour
to Waffen-SS' was shouted which according to German law is illegal.
Furthermore, the participants sang all three stanzas of the national
anthem
- again, the first stanza is illegal here since 1949. Although both
incidents would have provided good reason for intervention, police
only
announced they were going to dissolve the rally but did not act.
According
to info handed out by Berlin police, they are not compelled to
subsequent
action after such an announcement. This is not the first such incident
in
which one has to notice that deafness apparently is no reason to be
denied
employment with police forces...
NPD leadership meanwhile has announced they will report members of
the
Jewish Community to the police, for insult of NPD members and for
'publicly
instigating others to commit offences'.
Police at the site in front of the synagogue was not inclined to be
lenient
or to compromise and even meant to refuse counterprotesters access
to the
exhibition in a nearby parallel street. Clashes continued, some
protesters
were building barricades. While furious citizens started discussions
with
officers, police announced via bullhorn that the protest was
considered
illegal as of then, ordered participants to leave and announced the
use of
force if protesters did not comply. A prominent Berlin politician,
Gregor
Gysi (member of Party of Democratic Socialism), negotiated with police
and
managed to get an okay for the crowd to advance to the exhibition.
Comments written by participants on indymedia.de report that although
the
protest received a previous okay by Berlin police until 2 p.m. that
day,
police began to attack the march as early as shortly after 12, even
before
the Nazi march had started.
Some comments by participants on indymedia mentioned that it was Unit
23 of
Berlin police which was responsible for the attacks against counter-
protesters, a unit which gained a reputation for the use of exessive
force
against protesters. They further reported that 7th precinct was
responsible
for protecting and accompanying the Nazi march; this precinct is
situated
in the East Berlin district of Marzahn, a part of town which also
earned a
reputation for housing many Nazis.
Some antifa counterprotesters also reported Nazi attacks on their
way home
in articles posted to indymedia. One group wrote that police put a
huge
group of about 120 Nazis, mostly boneheads, onto the train they were
in. No
officers accompanied the train. While things at first were quiet,
the Nazis
later began to attack and beat up some passengers, among them a French
traveler who tried to come to the rescue of an attacked person.
Members
of
the group report that an elderly couple accompanied the Nazi crowd
and
apparently gave them instructions. They also heard boneheads telling
each
other that some of the persons among their group were wearing SS
uniforms,
but say that they did not see these uniforms themselves. Police
refused
to
assist the attacked persons or take action against the attackers when
the
Nazis were taken off the train apparently due to the attacks after
some
time. Police claimed train security was not their task but that of
units of
'Bundesgrenzschutz' [border guard]. The group apparently thinks of
reporting these officers for non-prevention of an offence.
Another report mentioned a well-known Nazi from Saxony having
patrolled
a
train on the way home looking for antifa members, then coming back
several
times with different Nazi thugs, pointing one person out to them and
threatening the person who later got severely beaten up. Nazi attacks
in
the train were said to have lasted for one hour. It was said that
the
person was attacked a last time when paramedics got hir off the train
at a
station, beating and kicking hir until s/he did not move. The Nazis
apparently got off the train without police taking action. The Nazi
who
patrolled the train is said to be a 'security person' known for
violent
acts who has been sentenced to a term in prison on probation at the
end of
last year.
Today's Berlin papers were reported to have said that Berlin
authorities
view Saturday's police action as a failure and as exessive. Both
officers
in command at the synagogue site and at the Nazi march were said to
have
been in discussion for a possible promotion in the near future, but
chances
for this might have become very dim since Saturday.
What has to be noted is that Berlin police applied a strategy of
letting
the Nazi march continue undisturbed while attacking counterprotests
at an
early time of the day. In a lot of similar incidents in other cities,
police have rather taken counterprotests, also when non-violent, for
a
reason to dissolve Nazi marches at an early stage of the planned
route.
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