NPD's Dangerous Role in West_ Germany
inadequate and dismiss the case.
were the West German economy
Such a risk certainly exists; it
to suffer a serious setback.
Historical parallels are easy to would prove terribly embarrassing
(Copyright 1969, JITA, Inc.)
BONN—Twenty-four years after draw and they can be misleading. to the government, and NPD stock
the collapse of the Third Reich, a The 1930s will not be repeated in would soar among the voters. Yet
neo-Nazi party has emerged on the the 1970s. Most Germans do not there is no small amount of cynic-
West German scene with every in- want a repetition of the Hitler era. ism in the government's stand.
dication that it will become a per- They know the destruction and de- The CDU, for example, welcom-
manent part of the political spec- gradation it brought them. There ed with open arms with the 22
trum. What is most alarming are powerful forces for democracy votes cast by NPD delegates in
about this development is that the at work in the country, especially the recent electoral assembly for
National Democratic Par t y among the younger generation. its candidate for president of the
(NPD), which espouses a danger. Nevertheless, there is a disturb- Federal Republic, Defense Minis-
ous amalgam of ultra-nationalis- ing complacency in many quar- ter Gerhard Schroeder, Herr
tic and extreme right-wing views, ters and a penchant for political Schroeder, a former member o
is regarded by most Germans and expediency among the major poli- the Nazi Party, lost by a margin
by many observers abroad as a tical parties and leaders that can of six votes to Dr. Gustav Heine-
natural political phenomenon.
only enhance the fortunes of the mann, the minister of justice, a
social Democrat and a man whose
The NPD now holds seats in NPD.
That party held its first national record of opposition to the Nazis
seven of West Germany's 10 laen-
dates back to pre-war days. That
der or provincial parliaments. congress in the little Bavarian Herr Schroeder, who admitted
Barring some major political set- town of Schwabach in February. applying for membership in the
back, it appears likely to win its It had hoped to rent the town hall notorious SA during his student
first seats in the Bundestag (lower in Bayreuth but the city fathers
years, was a favorite of the NPD
house) in next September's nation- there would have nothing to do
is not surprising. The liberal Dr.
al elections. Most political observ- with them. The congress was a
to
ers concede that if the elections boistrous affair. The NPD had to Heinemann was an anathema
them. What was amazing was the
were held now, the NPD would be mobilize 500 of its special
certain to take its place in the "guards" to protect the 600 dele- manner in which the CDU courted
federal parliament. gates from hundreds of demon- NPD votes. Nor is the CDU alone
strators who shouted anti-Nazi slo- in its ambiguous attitude toward
Hitler's Nazi Party took its first gans. It erected a barbed wire the neo-Nazis. The Social Demo-
step toward control of Germany fence around the meeting hall, and crats, coalition partners of the
by winning seats in the Reichstag. NPD guards stopped passers-by CDU, have declared several times
That event took place at a time of and demanded identity papers.
that they favored outlawing the
severe economic depression when
NPD. But they never made any
The latter was a shocking
unemployment was rampant and
special effort in parliament or the
usurpation of police authority.
thousands of Germans were starv-
government to bring that about.
Yet the local police did not
The Free Democratic Party.
ing. The NPD shows all signs of
bother to interfere. Their atti-
whose votes in the electoral assem-
thriving at a time of unprecedent-
tude was, in a way, symbolic of
ed prosperity when German work-
bly were credited with making Dr .
the official German policy to-
ers enjoy the highest living stan-
Heinemann's victory possible, has
ward the NPD. The Bonn gov-
dards in their history and great
openly opposed legal action
ernment for months has been
against the extreme right-wingers.
sections of the German people
talking about legal action to
literally wallow in luxury.
There is another disquieting
have the NPD banned as anti-
One
can
only
shudder
at
the
O
parallel between Germany of the
democratic under West. German
thought
of what might happen
t
1930s
and West Germany today.
law. Minister of Interior Ernst
In 1933, the Nazis and Com-
Benda, a leader of the domin-
munists, though mortal enemies,
ant Christian Democratic Union
Season's Greetings
sometimes worked together to
(CDU), the party of Chancellor
defeat democracy. Today the
Kur t Georg Kiesinger, has
radical left, which regularly de-
amassed what he considers to be
nounces the NPD, speaks its
sufficient evidence to have the
language with regard to Israel.'
NPD declared unconstitutional
The NPD has been very careful
by the constitutional high court
1515 Division
to avoid overt anti-Semitism and
at Karlsruhe.
makes known its attitude toward
But apart from Herr Benda, the
CDU leaders give no indication Jews in oblique language. The
radical left disguises its anti-
that they intend to take such a
Best Wishes on the Passover
Jewish bias as "anti-Zionism."
step. Chancellor Kiesinger has
The NPD chairman, Adolf von
made some threats but they are
to
has predicted 8
regarded as political rhetoric in- Madden,
tended to frighten voters away 12 per cent of the vote for his
from NPD ranks. The excuse for party in the national elections.
inaction given in high government Many astute observers do not dis-
BR 3-3390
15500 Puritan
(Corner Greenfield
circles is that the Karlsruhe court miss this as an empty boast. The
Free Dilivery
might find Herr Benda's evidence NPD is not a party of rational
arguments. It cares little for
issues, and campaigns with chau-
vinistic slogans designed to arouse
Passover Best Wishes
the baser instincts of the voters.
Should it enter the Bundestag, It '
will have a major platform for ex-
WAREHOUSE
ploiting such instincts and its in-
fluence will be magnified by na-
539-3700
23250 SHERWOOD
tional
radio and television cover-
Warren, Michigan
age.
There is yet another issue close-
,-
ly linked to West German politics
Happy Holiday Greetings
o and the rise of the NPD. That is
o the fate of the statute of limita-
tions on Nazi war crimes prose-
cutions which is scheduled to go
Reba Paske, Prop.
into elect at the end of this year.
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0 Many German politicians have
LI 8 - 1 1 5 5 o clucked their tongues at the pro-
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353-2173 0 spect of hundreds, possibly thou-
2 9 1 1 1 Greenfield, Southfield
a s strirerrrisurie sands of Nazi war criminals
0000000000000000 000 0
cheating justice.
But with the exception of Dr.
Happy Passover to Our Relatives and Friends
Heinemann and a few others,
none have supported a move to
abolish the statute. In this mat-
ter, the attitude of the CDU and
Wool and Cotton Rags
the other major parties is the
same as their stand on banning
WA 3-6400
1947 E. Kirby
the NPD.
At this writing, sad to say, the
NPD appears to have a political
future in West Germany. One
A Happy and Joyous Passover To All
thing is certain. The neo-Nazis,
like a bad odor, will not disappear
of their own accord.
FISHER PROVISION
CO.
MERRILL
PHARMACY
THE DETROIT JEWWISH NEWS
52—Friday, Mord, 23, 1969
Passover Best Wishes
By ALFRED WOLFMANN
JTA Correspondent in W.. Germany
McNICHOLS
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