German neo-Nazis becoming more professional

[Behind the Aegis]

BERLIN (EJP)--- A German expert on right-wing extremism has warned that neo-Nazis are becoming "more professional" and threatening to become a mainstream political force.

Karl-George Ohse, who heads a consulting team charged with countering growing neo-Nazi influence in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said that right-wing extremism is "strongly anchored" in the state and that the right-wing NPD is likely to win at least 10 per cent of the vote in the next state election.

He stated: "Neo-Nazis are the only ones that offer anything to youngsters in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."

Widespread unhappiness over the state of the German economy and continuing high unemployment combined with a rise in support for extremist movements were widely seen as being behind the relatively good showing of neo-Nazis in local elections earlier this month.

more...

[nam78_two]

1. yikes/nt

[Taverner]

2. grrrreeeaat

:sarcasm:

Just one more fucking thing dammit...

[phantom power]

3. Hasn't Germany been in this movie before?

Bad economy, subsequent rise of (the original) professional nazis....

[Luna_Chick]

4. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised

Fascism seems to be gaining momentum everywhere now, including here in the U.S. :scared: :scared:

[Kellanved]

5. actually, that's doesn't seem to be the problem

That's the standard explanation; This very line was offered for every far right election victory since the mid-80s (and there's about one a year - the media does this "OMG, they are coming, this is terrible, how could it happen, this was unforseeable, this hasn't happened before" BS act every time. It has happened before. It has happened in western states as well. It will happen again. at the moment it isn't even particularly bad. ). On the streets, it looks more like the Nazis are getting more aggressive and easier to spot.

And even if it were the case: all Germans "know" about these parties, no matter how nice they dress. And people vote for them anyway. There's simply no excuse for that - social issues don't excuse it, nice clothes don't excuse it, nothing does.

[Irreverend IX]

7. I don't know...

Fascist political thinking is raging across the globe, and it's especially popular with the young. In Japan, the only political voice young people listen to with any real interest is a radical right-wing cartoonist who hates anything foreign and denounces democracy and freedom of expression. Friends of mine from Europe have told me that racist, ultra-nationalist thinking is seething under the surface of popular culture in many countries. In Turkey, where Ataturk's secular philosophy bas almost been a religion unto itself, theocrats are quietly taking over the government. When I was there I saw many families where the mother wore typical European-style clothes but the teenage daughter had gone all-out with a headscarf and shapeless tent costume. The explanation I heard was that many young people are experiencing a hardline Islamic revival that their parents' generation doesn't really understand. It seems to me that the same thing is happening in many societies that have up to now been secular and pluralistic.

[BreweryYardRat]

6. So why doesn't Merkel have a few of their candidates quietly offed?

Neo-nazis having any degree of political influence is never a good thing. You'd think the Germans would have the brains to realize that.

[bhikkhu]

8. Labels are often misleading. Does anyone know the agenda?

This an openminded question from one who knows little of National Socialism, only the philosophical roots of socialism (which aren't at all bad, and improved greatly during the experiences of the pre WWI period).

The primary agenda of socialism prior to WWI was for an 8 hour work day, at a time when many worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[patrick t. cakes]

10. national socialists=

bush and company. fascists

[bhikkhu]

11. Well, yes, perhaps, but that is another label without background.

I would not defend modern national socialism without any knowledge of their intentions, but neither would I throw them in the dustbin, so to speak, without any knowledge of who they are or why they have some popularity. It would be a bit rovian to rely upon random association.

[krispos42]

9. We beat'em once. Can we do it again?

Or will we just form an alliance?

Most of our manufacturing is done overseas. China is handing out way more engineering and science degrees than the US. I think we are now the #3 user of machine tools instead of #1.

Can we even mobilize for a real, desperate war anymore? We had a great leader in FDR. Where can we find one now? Author Kevin Phillips notes that one of the symptoms of decline of an empire (which we are, even if we're a republic) is a series of mediocre leaders. Dubya, his cronies, and the rubber-stampers on the Hill may well be the first in a long series of failures that will relegate us to the "has-been" aisle.

What scares the hell out of me is that we've risen so high that when the fall comes, it will be truly spectacular.