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Neo-Nazis at last year's Bad Nenndorf march. Photo: DPA

Court approves neo-Nazi march, but bans counter demonstration

Published: 13 Aug 10 08:13 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100813-29133.html

A Hannover court has approved a neo-Nazi march in the Lower Saxony spa town of Bad Nenndorf this weekend, but declined to authorise a counter-demonstration by left-wing protestors because they allegedly pose a greater danger and the neo-Nazis registered first.

The administrative court confirmed its decision on Thursday to exclude the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), overturning a previous ruling by a Schaumburg district court, which had said there were not enough police there to handle both sides at the same time. But the Hannover court said the some 2,000 officers could at least handle one demonstration.

Because the neo-Nazis registered for permission first, and officials expect violence-prone anarchists to be attracted to the counter demonstration, the far-right extremists will be allowed to march unopposed, the court said.

The DGB called the decision an “unbelievable ruling” and said it would appeal to the state of Lower Saxony’s top administrative court.

Right-wing extremists have come to Bad Nenndorf since 2006 to stage a "funeral march" in honour of Nazis they say were mishandled there between 1945 and 1947 at an interrogation centre by occupying British troops.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

09:41 August 13, 2010 by MonkeyMania
They can do this in the interest of safety, even though it is against the freedom to assemble treaty of the EU. All the same, I think these ass****s should not be allowed to march. Surely right wing extremists are breaking the 'incitement to hatred' treaty. Sorry, don't know which treaty numbers these actually are and don't have time to look them up, but I am 100% positive they are there. Best thing to do in the interests of national safety is to ban both sides.
10:21 August 13, 2010 by 9900lawre
01:36 August 12, 2010 by kabekew

All of the Nazi leaders are long dead. Nobody in the world is worried that "Nazi's" will somehow come to power in Germany. Stop worrying about "Nazi's." That is old history.

Those word's aren't mine but written in recent topics on TL. If a drunk can't salute but a parade can take place, then there seem's to be a contradiction of interest in the law here.
10:32 August 13, 2010 by ngwanem
yeah i agree with u 200% 9900lawre :D

apparent contradiction and even worse because the drunk poses no threat to the society while the neo-nazis have been proven to be extremist and violent...

so why jail a harmless drunk and give a free pass to some dangerous thugs?

what a country!!!!
10:36 August 13, 2010 by majura
I'd be suprised if there wouldn't be a counter-protest regardless of what the court says. You might not get the SPD/Linke/Gruenen and the normal middle-class protesters. But they are known as the Anti-Fa/Anarchists for a reason aren't they.
17:40 August 13, 2010 by William Thirteen
guess the judge needs to brush up on his German history...
17:55 August 13, 2010 by NAE13
Maybe the judge has some serious sympathies for neo Nazis. Someone should look into his motives on other rulings as well ...
18:35 August 13, 2010 by MonkeyMania
@Willian Thirteen

Germany needs to brush up on it's judges.
20:03 August 13, 2010 by Bildad
If you don't like the march, then don't watch. As the article states; the anarchistic left is endlessly more prone to violence than the right. This is rarely pointed out and kudos to The Local for stating it.
20:37 August 13, 2010 by 9900lawre
Who is worse is not the big shock here. I hold every person from the Politzi to the court who stood by and let this happen as responsible as those who stood by so many years ago. Small sparks make big fires and everyone present seemed to have been trapped by the flames trance.

"Lest we forget?" B"LL0$
22:21 August 13, 2010 by Ducano
If we removed the conditions,that make Nazism attractive,Nazism would die on the vine.It seems to me,that this whole thing about Nazism is a diversionary tactic to have people focus on it,so other groups,as bad or even worse can do their own thing unnoticed.The Nazis are made to look so bad,evil and mean,that anything else becomes virtuous in comparison,from the Korean war,through the Vietnam war,through the cold war,through the Iraq war,through the Afghanistan and Pakistan war and the ridiculous build-up of hatred and fear towards Iran,which the blood-thirsty warmongers want to rob blind as well after rendering Iraq helpless.The insatiable capitalist beast knows no bounds nor morals.And what is the common denominator in every war?Exactly,religion.Instead of a blessing it is a curse.Politics and religion are in a symbiotic relationship.The one cannot survive without the other and neither shrinks back from the most cruel methods to satisfy their thirst for greed and power.History is full of proof of that.
22:51 August 13, 2010 by Der Grenadier aus Aachen
Ducano is correct.

No one takes these idiots seriously in any case. So, let them march and have their freedom of speech; yes, make sure they can march without being accosted by counter-protesters - that's just normal policing, and there is no difference in what the ideology is here. Let them spout there stupidity; everyone will stop listening as soon as we stop paying attention to them.

Complete non-issue.
00:49 August 14, 2010 by deutschamer
".And what is the common denominator in every war? Exactly,religion"

That's laughable. Both Hitler and Stalin were atheists. And don't try to tell me Hitler was Catholic. That's even more laughable.

What religions were WWI about? Germany was both Catholic and Lutheran.

What religions were WWII about?

Even wars that were allegedly about religion were always about politics. Religion was only used as an excuse.
20:47 August 15, 2010 by jamesvik
There is much more to fear from the left wing extremists than the right.
23:08 August 15, 2010 by Wise Up!
Finally, a judge says what everyone knows! It's the left wing extremists that are now the real threat of violence and have been so for a long time.

Besides both of these groups are 2 sides of the same coin. Communism and National Socialism were never enemies but rather competition. No diffrence in philosophy between them! And both are accountable for the deaths of millions.
22:18 August 16, 2010 by wxman
9900lawre kind of makes the point I did the other day about the homeless guy. Be consistent, at least. Also, the best way top make more of something undesirable is to restrict it. It's human nature to push back. Ignore them, and they will go away.
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