II Friday, &liar 2, 1981
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
West German Neo-Nazis Are Violent Extremist Faction
By VOLKER JACOBS
(Editor's note: The fol-
lowing article originally
appeared in German in
Saarbroecker Zeitung
and was re-printed in
English in Hamburg,
Germany by the German
Tribune.)
Neo-Nazis are just a
small part in the spectrum
of right-wing extremism in
West Germany.
According to the Office for
the Protection of the Con- right-wing extremists in
stitution report, there were other organizations, from
800 organized neo-Nazi ac- the NPD to . "free
tivists, 400 financial bac- nationalist" groups.
However, the violent
kers and 600 neo-Nazis
right recruits most of its
working in isolation.
And there were 18,000 members from neo-Nazi cir-
Karl-Heinz Hoffmann and members of his
Hoffmann Militiiry Sport Group.
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cies. The most important
group here is the Hoffmann
Military Sport Group. Its
leader, Karl-Heinz
Hoffmann, is now under ar-
rest facing charges of ter-
rorism.
The OPC report presents
figures to back this up. The
number of extreme right-
wing crimes rose by 10 per-
cent in 1980 to 1,643. Of
these, 77 percent were
committed by neo-Nazis.
The 643 crimes include 113
acts of violence such as
murder, bomb and fire at-
tacks. Some 76 percent of
these were probably by
neo-Nazis.
The most serious of these
crimes, the bomb attack at
last year's Munich Oktober-
fest in which 13 people were
killed, is believed to have
been committed by a former
member of the Hoffmann
Military Sport Group who
was himself killed in the
explosion.
Another neo-Nazi killed
two Swiss border officials
and then committed suicide
on Christmas Day, 1980.
He was probably involved
in arms smuggling.
The report shows that one
characteristic of these
neo-Nazi groups is that ex-
cept for the military sport
groups they do not have any
organizational structure
but tend to work together in
small groups of members
and financial backers. The
report shows the intercon-
nections between neo-
Nazis.
A search of the house of
former lawyer Roeder
showed how active the
neo-Nazis flriancial backers
are. •
From summer 1979 to
summer 1980, DM84,000
($40,000) was paid to
Roeder's "German Citizens'
Initiative" account. Donors
included a significantly
high proportion of old age
pensioners — 45 percent of
all backers. And 12 percent
of donors were from abroad.
For right-wing publishers
• and publications, the trend,
however, is downwards. The
average weekly circulation
of these publications drop-
ped from 174,300 in 1979 to
159,700 in 1980.
The number of publishers
and sales outlets rose at the
same time from 45 to 65 —
because, as the report says,
"There is still a big demand
for literature on and in jus-
tification of the Nazis."
The Deutsche National
Zeitung continues to have
the highest circulation. _ .
Its publisher, Dr. Frey,
represents the "national-
liberal right." The paper
has a print-run of 100,000
and "seems to be on a sound
financial footing."
Largely unnoticed by the
general public, the German
People's Union led by Frey
has become the largest ex-
treme right-wing organiza-
tion ahead of the National
Democratic Party. Frey
achieved this by changing
his party statutes to include
all the members of his
People's Movement for a
General Amnesty and his
"Initiative for a Limit on
Foreign Workers".
Hostility towards for-
eigners was a major factor
in the recruitment of
right-wing extremists.
Some 119 crimes, including
the bomb attack on a Ham-
burg hostel in which two
Vietnamese were killed,
were clearly inspired by
hostility to foreigners.
Slogans such as "dagos
Out" and "don't buy from
Turks" are grimly reminis-
cent of anti-Jewish slogans.
It was the potential ap-
peal of the anti-foreigner
campaign that persuaded
the NDP not to disband or
change its leadership.
Whether this will be
enough to halt the party's
slide remains to be seen.
But the party leadership's
authority continues to
dwindle.
After losing another 800
members, the party now to-
tals only 7,200 according to
the report, which adds: "The -
party's organization is so
desolate that it is impossi-
ble to give precise figures."
The report says that the
NPD is unable to pay the
Bundestag- administration
the DM768-800 ($350,000)
election costs which it owes.
"It is hoping for post-
ponement, writing off of the
dept or repayment in in-
stallments." On the other
hand the NPD continues to
publish the Deutsche
Stimme, which has a circu-
lation of 100,000.
The true convert is dearer
to God than the Israelites,
for had not the Israelites
seen the thunder and light-
ning on Mount Sinai, the
shaking mountain and blar-
ing trumpets, they might
not have accepted the Holy
Torah. But the proselyte
who saw none of these has
opened his heart to the Holy
One. Who can be dearer to
God? --
4
Midrash