Never Again?
"Hitler was great; I can't say more"
So says Udo Voigt, leader of the German far-right Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD), who faces inquiry for 'glorification' of Nazism. "Adolf Hitler was a great German statesman," says he, as he sits in a room darkened by bombproof shutters.
"There are no busts of the Führer in Herr Voigt’s bunker-like office, just maps of Germany as it was, various German and neo-Nazi flags and a poster that declares: “May 1945, Nothing to Celebrate.”
Herr Voigt, 52 and a former army captain, is the mastermind. Since taking charge in 1996 he has converted the NPD from a mouthpiece for embittered war veterans into "a radical voice for the silent majority". He addresses rallies using the slogan: "We are everywhere."
The NPD is widening its appeal. Last month, during the anniversary of the Dresden bombing, 8,000 neo-Nazis marched silently through the streets, and they seemed to enjoy the sympathy of many citizens.
Voigt is promising violent retaliation against any who oppose them by force. And violence is the calling card and the legacy of the nationalist movement in Germany. "We will no longer be the whipping-boys of the left," said Voigt. "Whoever attacks us, should expect to get hurt."
Voigt, and the NPD use "freedom of speech" as their basis to justify the propagation of Nazi slogans and philosophies. The NPD won more than 9 per cent of the vote in Saxony and has become a pivotal element in the Dresden parliament. Its representatives walked out of Parliament rather than stand in silence for the victims of Auschwitz.
He began by harnessing the raw energy of eastern Germany’s racist skinheads, recruiting them from pubs and placing them under near- military discipline. "More than 600 have passed through our training centers, and many of them have become our leadership cadres," he boasted, pointing at a picture of a graduation ceremony. With the help of other far-right parties it is starting to make inroads in western Germany. "We are now in the middle of society, not on the fringes."
So says Udo Voight.
Cross-Posted at Something... and Half of Something
Posted by LindaSoG at March 14, 2005 07:40 AM
Never Again?
"Hitler was great; I can't say more"
So says Udo Voigt, leader of the German far-right Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD), who faces inquiry for 'glorification' of Nazism. "Adolf Hitler was a great German statesman," says he, as he sits in a room darkened by bombproof shutters.
Herr Voigt, 52 and a former army captain, is the mastermind. Since taking charge in 1996 he has converted the NPD from a mouthpiece for embittered war veterans into "a radical voice for the silent majority". He addresses rallies using the slogan: "We are everywhere."
The NPD is widening its appeal. Last month, during the anniversary of the Dresden bombing, 8,000 neo-Nazis marched silently through the streets, and they seemed to enjoy the sympathy of many citizens.
Voigt is promising violent retaliation against any who oppose them by force. And violence is the calling card and the legacy of the nationalist movement in Germany. "We will no longer be the whipping-boys of the left," said Voigt. "Whoever attacks us, should expect to get hurt."
Voigt, and the NPD use "freedom of speech" as their basis to justify the propagation of Nazi slogans and philosophies. The NPD won more than 9 per cent of the vote in Saxony and has become a pivotal element in the Dresden parliament. Its representatives walked out of Parliament rather than stand in silence for the victims of Auschwitz.
He began by harnessing the raw energy of eastern Germany’s racist skinheads, recruiting them from pubs and placing them under near- military discipline. "More than 600 have passed through our training centers, and many of them have become our leadership cadres," he boasted, pointing at a picture of a graduation ceremony. With the help of other far-right parties it is starting to make inroads in western Germany. "We are now in the middle of society, not on the fringes."
So says Udo Voight.
Cross-Posted at Something... and Half of Something
Posted by LindaSoG at March 14, 2005 07:40 AM