Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 17:33:53 +1100 From: "dr.woooo" <dr.woooo-AT-nomasters.org> Subject: AUT: neo-right in germany articles from http://www.raggacore.com When Nazis go Pop... New strategies of the extreme right in Germany In the good old times everything seemed to be easy: The symbols, clothes and ideology of the extreme right were quite easy to identify. This was the cliché of the right-wing version of skinhead outfit ("boneheads"). Since a few years there have been massive changes in the far-right in Germany. There is the strategy to adopt symbols and clothes of other youth cultures including the left one. Background on Extreme-Right Organisations After a huge wave of repression against the far-right in the early 1990s and the ban of several parties and organisations there have been 2 main actors remaining: One main actor in Germanyīs far-right is the NPD (National-democratic Party of Germany). With a crude mix of antisemitism and racism itīs the legal arm of the extreme right. It is used to network different fractions of the right-wing extremists. Its youth organisation "Junge Nationaldemokraten" (young national-democrats) is trying to recrute young people and to radicalize the mother-party. After the court procedure to ban the party failed in March 2003 the party is strengthened [1]. Because the NPD is a legal party there are boundaries to the levels of ideology: they canīt hold extreme positions without legal consequences. So another part of the far-right, not willing to deal with those constrictions, was founding "Freie Kameradschaften" (free associations): local based, small groups forming (inter-)national more or less loose networks. There are 150 in Germany existing yet- and because they arenīt legal organisations authorities canīt ban them easily. They are organized internally strictly hierachical and due to their missing program used to connect various fractions of the far-right and people that wouldnīt want to work in a regular party [2]. Although the relationship between NPD and "freie Kameradschaften" was tensioned in the past, it seems that they cooperate more and more [3] e.g. on the demonstration on 1.5.2004 when NPD and "Freie Kameradschaften" made a demonstration with 2500 people in Berlin with a right-wing "black bloc". [4] Also leaders of "freie kameradschaften" and militant neo-nazis are becoming now members of the NPD - there is the concept of a right-wing "Volksfront" (peoples front): all far-right forces should cooperate [5]. Right-Wing Brands. The Example of Thor Steinar Since the brand "Lonsdale" donates money to anti-racist projects and speaks out in public against racism, the former very popular brand becomes less and less famous in the far-right. So there have been new clothes companies founded by right-wing persons like "Troublemaker", "Walhal", "Masterrace", "Gang Violence". One of the most succesful is "Thor Steinar"- a clothes company from the far-right for the far right by nationalist activist Axel Kopelke from Koenigs-Wusterhausen (near Berlin) using modiefied runes of the SA/ SS as logo for his brand [6]. The strategy with own labels is quite clever: on the one hand fascists are wearing their own symbols and not supporting somebody "outside" (in fact they are creating own economic structures), on the other hand even more people than the pure hardcore-fraction of organized nationalists are wearing those clothes. This a, helps to spread the fascist logos and symbols and b, supports the far-right financially through the sales. But repression is hitting the extreme right hard: there have been court decision where persons got convicted for wearing Thor Steinar clothes in public [7] and there are also restrictions for demonstrations of nationalists not to wear Thor Steinar clothes [8]. Logo of Thor Steinar Under Pressure- the Effects of Repression This is really an important point one should keep in mind: Germany has tough laws on demonstrations and on right-wing symbolism. Not only swastikas are banned but a growing list of symbols. Even if some symbols are not banned, local authorities usually make strict requirements on right-wing demonstrations for their use. E.g. itīs quite often prohibited to use the number "88" (meaning "Heil Hitler" for the 8th letter in the alphabet), which was invented by the right to bypass the ban of "Heil Hitler" in Germany [9]. This seems to be an endless battle of repression-innovation of new codes-repression. Evaluating the results there are 2 points: on the one hand itīs good that the far-right is put under pressure. They have to deal with court decisions which costs time, money and nerves. On the other hand this stimulates their creativity in evolving new tactics all the time which also has some risks. So there are less racists and nationalists speaking out in public but hiding their intentions and trying to deliver them with unobtrusive codes not directly linked with right-wing ideology. Changing the dresscodes: Infiltrating Other Youth Cultures Another strategy: infiltrating other (musical) scenes to get away from the image of "nationalists= nazi-Skinheads". Thereīs a tendency to form nationalist punkrock, hatecore, dark wave, black metal, industrial bands and associated symbols and clothes [10]. This follows the logic of annexing other symbols and re-coding them for their own purpose. A benefit for the far-right resulting of this strategy is that in public the bad reputation of "Nazi" as the cliché of some bald bonehead is avoided. "Nazis" arenīt some clearly identifiable persons anymore, which can be easily marked as "outsiders" any more but look like everybody else does. So they come a bit closer to their goal of not getting excluded at all but becoming a "normal" part in the political spectrum. Also both trends seems to be contradictory they follow one goal: to create a huge, diverse right-wing lifestyle. So there isnīt "one" right-wing style to identify any more but a variety where each new member can choose the one he likes. No more association with the Third Reich but modern, popular symbols and codes. Stealing the Symbols- Occupying the Radical Left Into those trend fits the adaption of former left-wing symbols: There are right-wing people nowadays wearing T-Shirts with Che Guevara on, the (palestinian) Kafiya-scarf and unobtrousive clothes popular at antifascists: sneakers, jeans, plain carhartt jackets and baseball caps [11]. This is a strategy used by the far-right trying to copy the autonomous left scene. They call themselves "autonomous nationalists" and adopt even left paroles like "smash capitalism" from the left.So nationalists use the logo of "Antifaschistische Aktion" (antifascist action); a circle with a red and black flag but calling it "Nationale Sozialisten" (national socialists). Some go even further and take the logo with the words "antifascist action"- prentending they are acting against some imaginary "left fascism" [12]. Of course the intentions are clear: when left-winger are the real "fascists" the fascists arenīt morally bad any more. And also to humilate their enemys and symbolically taking their power by absorbing their symbols. That doesnīt mean that these "autonomous nationalists" are pro-left-wing now. One main field of activity is the "Anti-Antifa" ^Ö the collecting of adresses and threatening against all kind of left and imaginary left people. Autonomous Nationalists in Cologne on the 16.10.2004 Itīs not only the adresses of left antifascists they collect, but also the ones of judges, teachers, scientists, jewish people and politician acting against the far-right Some commentators mention that the adoption of left symbols by the right isnīt a historical new phenomenon: the Nazis in the pre-fascist Germany in the 1920s already adopted the red flag by the communists and re-coded symbols and ideology of the worker movement for their purposes [13]. The intention behind this is clear: to make symbols useless for the left and to transport their racist/ national-socialist agenda with (former) left symbols. Adopting Left Phrases Of course this isnīt all about clothes only. Nationalists also try to win supporters of the left e.g. with claiming "we want national socialism" pretending their concept of "Volksgemeinschaft" (roughly translated as "peopleīs community") is socialism [14]. This follow the logic to canalize popular political issues for their purposes. They were sticking themselves to social protests by joining the "Anti-Hartz IV" - protest against the merging of unemployment and social benefit in autumn 2004 [15]. Of course the fascists donīt demand a free, equal society. They simply have a "shortened" criticism of capitalism. For them itīs not capitalism itself to blame but the influence of some "evil" people and groups like "bad capitalists only speculating with money" (dividing capitalism in a "good" sphere of work and in a "bad" sphere of speculation), migrants (for "taking away german labour") and of course Jews (for "controlling the world" et cetera). Instead of abolishing capitalism, they want a hierarchical "Volksgemeinschaft" following racist criterias. They are not criticizing unequality but the imaginary exploitation of the german, white, able to work man by foreign forces [16]. They also adopt views (formerly) carried by left-wing "anti-imperialist" groups: against the (jewish) occupation of Palestine and the US-led invasion of Iraq. This a, helps to relativize the role of (Nazi-)Germany and b, fits in their anti-semitic / anti-american concept: each "people" should have itīs own state at itīs "origin" place while the USA and Israel are blamed for not being "authentic cultures" but undermining and suppressing all other people worldwide [17]. Of course the concerns of the people in Palestine donīt matter: the whole "solidarity" of the german right goes to the fact that they interpret the situation as a struggle against the jews [18]. In this picture also fits that some left-wing songs are played at far-right demonstrations like the song "Yankees raus" (Yankees go home) of german political punkrock band SLIME (which were very popular in the 1980s) [19]. So the far-right is trying to take over more and more formerly left-wing dominated political issues like social protest. And the results are frightening: the extreme right party NPD could get 9,2% (former 1,4%) of the votes for the regional parlament of Saxony in september 2004 with an election campaign focussing only on social protest [20]. So the strategy of nationalists seems to pay off for them: occupying formely left dominated political issues and strategies to gain popularity. Advanced Copying in Progress: The Black Bloc of the Far-Right One example for an advanced adoption of left strategies is the strategical concept of a right-wing black bloc. "Autonomous nationalists" are trying to form a black bloc on demonstrations [21]. This causes a lot of confusion at the police and at protestors- itīs not easy to distinguish between nationalists and antifascists. But the far-right didnīt get the ideas behind of the black bloc. In the left version it never was a purpose but an aim- to avoid that individuals were caught by the police mainly as a form of protection. So in the mid-90s the german police was able to cope with the black block in tactical terms. So this concept was abolished and was wandering through the media to denote all kind of left-wing activities. Autonomous Nationalists in Cologne on the 16.10.2004 The writers of the manifest for the right-wing black bloc try to denounce the left version as "they just used it for violence" while justifying their own bloc:"We dissociate from violence and decline categoric standardized clothes and mummery" [22]. Does the first part of the sentence make any sense at all when dressing up all in black? Itīs contradictory when fascists are describing themselves as "non-violent" and adopting a mean of action of the left associated (by the media and also themselves) with violence. They also didnīt get the concept of using the black block for protection: during the far-right demonstration on 1.5.2004 in Berlin the police requested the 150 people in the right-wing black bloc to put off the cloths around their faces (to mask is illegal on demonstrations in Germany). And they immediately did. Also as some of their "comrades" were arrested- hardly any resistance arose [23]. Nonetheless the concept isnīt without criticism in Germanyīs right-wing: many activists opposing it. There are critics saying it is just a stolen concept of the left. As one of Germanyīs most famous nazi leaders Christian Worch says (referring to his demonstration in Leipzig on the 1.5.2004) that he doesnīt need a black bloc because the whole demonstration has to be "one" bloc [24]. He and others view the black bloc as a concept dividing the far-right. So there is still a huge "conservative" fraction that doesnīt want right-wing people to copy left tactics and outfit. But itīs not possible to denounce this strategy only to be carried by some rudimentary parts in the far-right. There have been several demonstrations now in towns all over Germany- so at least some parts of the organized right are willing to use this strategy. Conclusion The question on effectiveness of the new stratgies of the fascists has to be raised. On the one hand the more and more marketing of the right-wing attitude as a lifestyle has advantages in form of recruiting many new, young members. On the other hand that causes the threat of constant political work of organized nationalists meanwhile. Because right-wing attitude is becoming a lifestyle, itīs easy to drop out after a few years. So a, there are less and less experienced activists and b, was the agenda of national-socialism displaced by a diffuse mixture of racism and lust for action [25]. And the game with codes can also work like a boomerang and confuse their own people by causing a massive identity crisis: "who are we when some of us are wearing the clothes of the left". The far-right still has some very conservative members not wanting to post-modern arbitrariness. But this is exactly what is happening when using the "pop" strategy. Che Guevara is a pop symbol and common like the "CocaCola" writing- but that doesnīt mean the ideology he was standing for, socialism, is. A loss of the values once connected with symbols is happening always when symbol become part of the popular culture. Also there will be attacks by nationalists on nationalists because of mistaking the other for a lefty (or simply not tolerating the left symbols heīs wearing), the whole strategy will be questioned. So there is a destructive potential that undermines the expansive intentions of the far-right on the long run. One shouldnīt forget that it doesnīt make much difference if a person getīs beaten to death because the attacker had a fixed national-socialist or "only" a loose racist world view. No matter how they might dress, which symbols or language they might use, the still remain one thing: unacceptable. LFO DEMON 12.11.2004 Footnotes: [1] NPD bleibt zugelassene Partei. In: Frankfurter Rundschau, 18.3.2003 here [2] Documentated in an article on "Freie Kameradschaften" and "autonomous nationalists" by ALB (Antifascist Left Berlin) published on their website: N.N.: Von "freien Kameradschaften" und "autonomen Nationalisten". 18.11.2002 http://www1.antifa.de/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=64 [3] Jan Langehein: NPD und freie Kameradschaften: Jetzt alle zusammen! In: Jungle World, Nr.42/2004 http://www.hagalil.com/archiv/2004/10/npd.htm [4] Karsten Laumeyer: Neonazis und der 1.Mai: Black Block Nazis. In: Jungle World, Nr.13/2004 http://www.klick-nach-rechts.de/ticker/2004/03/1mai.htm [5] Straßennazis strömen jetzt in die NPD. In: Die Tageszeitung, 24.9.2004 http://www.taz.de/pt/2004/09/24/a0099.nf/text.ges,1 [6] There is an antifascist information site on Thor Steinar and its background documentating all kind of information and news on the label and connected activities. http://www.stop-thorsteinar.de.vu/ [7] Although itīs not sure that the actual Thor Steinar-logo will be forbidden, those decisions cause insecurity in the right-wing scene. Would you buy an expensive sweatshirt, if it could get get confiscated tomorrow? Nonetheless, Thor Steinar is sold still ^Ö even in "normal" shops. Staatsanwalt gegen "Thor Steinar" Bekleidung. In: Berliner Zeitung, 6.11.2004 http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/brandenburg/392893.html [8] During a nationalist demonstration in Potsdam on the 30.10.2004 the local public prosecutorīs office wanted to arrest all people wearing Thor Steinar clothes. http://buende.antifa.net/ts/t_tsverbot30_10.php [9] A detailed brochure on right-wing symbols (and clothes): Agentur für soziale Perspektiven (Hrsg.) 2002: Versteckspiel. Lifestyle, Symbole und Codes von neonazistischen und extrem rechten Gruppen. Berlin [10] Thereīs an antifacist network documentating right-wing approaches in musical scenes listing all their activities and giving antifascists strategies against: http://www.turnitdown.de/ [11] Alexander Fichtner.: Aneignung von rechts. In: Jungle World, Nr.21/2004 http://www.jungle-world.com/seiten/2004/20/3160.php [12] Nationalists on the 1.5.2005 were wearing a banner saying "Antifascist Action Fuerstenwalde- ban the PDS". The PDS is the left-socialist succession party of former GDR-party SED. Itīs documentated by a photo here ^Ö and the photos of a right-wing blac bloc on a demonstration in Cologne: http://www.germany.indymedia.org/2004/11/97143.shtml Also there is a documentated flyer by nationalists from Trier saying "fight facism" to bash an antifascist demonstration. http://www.de.indymedia.org/2004/11/97367.shtml [13] Fascho Fasching. Des Nazis neue Kleider: Zur Übernahme linker Symbolik durch rechte Gruppen. In: Junge Welt 9.8.2004 documentated: http://freeweb.dnet.it/treptow/presse04.htm [14] As proclaimed by the NPD on demonstrations. http://www.npd.de/npd_info/meldungen/2003/m0703-2.html [15] Itīs not only the NPD sticking to these social protests. Activists of "Freie Kameradschaften" set up a page dedictated to the protest against HartzIV and the social democratic "Agenda2010". http://www.keine-agenda2010.de/ [16] A documentation on the infiltration of the "Anti-HartzIV" protests by Nazis and possible strategies of the left against it was published by the antifascist group ALB. ALB (Hrsg.) 2004: Alles Lüge. Faschisten machen auf sozial. Berlin Downloadable as pdf-file here: http://www1.antifa.de/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=221 [17] This is another example that some left, anti-imperialist and right positions can be sticked together quite easily: At least the Nazis had in some towns in Germany no problems of entering "peace" demonstrations Apabiz e.V. (Hrsg.)- Monitor Nr.9. März/2003 http://www.klick-nach-rechts.de/ticker/2003/04/Bagdad-Dresden.htm [18] At this point the ideology of the right really has some points where it can be connected to a, islamic militants and b, anti-imperialist left-wing. E.g. Udo Voigt and Horst Mahler (former terrorist of marxist-leninist terrorist group RAF), both leading members of the NPD ,attented a congress of islamic-militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir in Berlin on 3.11.2002. Detailed webpage on this group: http://www.stura.uni-leipzig.de/~farao/gruppen/hizbtahrir.htm There are also cooperations between all 3 groups german nationalists, islamists and anti-imperialists as german anarchist newspaper "Graswurzelrevolution" figures out at the campaign "10 Euros for the iraqui resistance": Alfred Schober: Antiimp.exe. Über die Frey-Gänger des Antiimperialismus. In: Graswurzelrevolution 293/2004. http://www.graswurzel.net/293/antiimp.shtml [19] Like on a demonstration of "Aktionsbüro Norddeutschland" in Hamburg. Note: For some strange reasons the song "Deutschland verrecke" (Germany has gotta die) by the same band isnīt played at those demonstrations. Apabiz e.V. (Hrsg.)- Monitor Nr.9. März/2003 http://www.klick-nach-rechts.de/ticker/2003/04/Bagdad-Dresden.htm [20] Spiegel Online, 19.9.2004 http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,318797,00.html [21] Examples for those black blocs on far-right demonstrations are on the 1.5.2004 in Berlin with 150 nationalists or the 16.10.2004 in Cologne-Kalk with 100-200 nationalists Fotos: http://www.germany.indymedia.org/2004/11/97143.shtml [22] Quoted from the right-wing brochure by "autonomous nationalists" on the relevance on the right-wing black bloc http://www.schwarzer-block.de/schwarzer_block.pdf [23] N.N.: Alles nur geklaut? Die Übernahme linker Symbolik durch Nazis. In: Antifaschistisches Infoblatt#63, Sommer 2004 http://www.nadir.org/nadir/periodika/aib/archiv/63/16.php [24] Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Berlin, News 24.2.2004 http://www.berlin.de/seninn/verfassungsschutz/aktuelles/archiv.html#46 [25] N.N.: Alles nur geklaut? Die Übernahme linker Symbolik durch Nazis. In: Antifaschistisches Infoblatt#63, Sommer 2004 http://www.nadir.org/nadir/periodika/aib/archiv/63/16.php Fuck old Europe. A polemic against european Anti-Americanism. I canīt believe it. It is simply too much for me. While denouncing "the Americans" to be "dumb as shit" for electing "the monkey" George W. Bush again, they are themselves on the status on primates, believing everything their governments and media tells them without even recognizing it. Anti-Americanism is an integral part of the uprising "european identity". Letīs demonstrate this with one situation from everydays life: I was sitting in a course at university on the presidential election in the United States where the following was said by a women: "The USA didnīt have the enlightenment- in my eyes they are on a scientific level 200 years behind us." Well, arenīt most of leading scientists- especially in humanities from the USA? She should know this at least. But the worst came from a sort of "left-wing" guy pretending: "It may sound harsh but the USA are build on a genocide". Itīs more than unbelievable hearing such crap coming out of person from G-E-R-M-A-N-Y which is responsible for 2 World Wars and the biggest genocide in the history of mankind. And youīre pretending the USA have no right to exist? Bravo- you stupid dickhead, that true bigotry. Whatīs happening at the moment in Europe is that there is a broad consensus of Europe to be seen as a counterpart to the United States. Thereīs no longer left or right- but one giant community bound together. Moderate labour unionists, moderate left, extreme anti-imperialist left-wing, conservatives, the far-right and even islamist radicals ^Ö they all agree in their hatred against the USA. This is the birth of a nation- ugly as a monster which emerges from a slimy egg in Ridley Scottīs movie "Alien". States arenīt just bloodless institutions, they have to be filled with the voluntary consent of their citizens. 10 years ago hardly anybody would have desribed himself as "European" ^Ö nowadays this is becoming more and more normal and this isnīt something natural. The european nation is a construct as all nations are and needs the identification of its citizens with it. And Anti-Americanism is the glue that holds together people in different countries and their governments to create one big "we" against an outside, seen in the USA. What Europeans not get is that only the package looks different- the content is the same. They believe their governments are peace loving, just caring with their multilateral approach for the whole world. But in fact they donīt get the point that European states just have to focus mainly on diplomatic and economic means because their military is simply to bad equiped to keep up with the US-american one. European states have no problems to strengthen all kinds of dictatorships like China or Iran. Itīs just that the marketing of this policy is different: they try to sell it as "peaceful and multilateral" when in fact just trying to dominate the rest of the world according to its own interests. Oh, and they have also no problem to fight wars like the one without a UN-resoluton against Serbia in 1999 with the NATO. One of the main reasons for this war, the massacre of Racak, never happened as pretended. Where was the outrage on this? Well, but the USA was involved in this one, so letīs blame everything on them, thatīs surely much easier. Iīm not justifying the foreign policies of the USA but at the moment there is an ugly tendency in Europe to blame everything on the United States instead of analyzing the role of the European governments, too. The game is called capitalism where nations, companies and people compete against each other to gain maximum advance. Europe is in no way better than the United States. Anti-Americanism is just propaganda to hide the real problems by blaming all evil on a scapegoat. This is nothing else than a conspiracy theory on the role of the USA built on myths and not rational analysis. Another form the anti-American resentment is to complain about the "Americanisation" of culture. Europeans halluzinate themselves to be flooded with American (or what they think of it) culture. Even "globalisation" is seen as a sort of US-cultural-imperialism: "they sell their stuff over here so we have to eat hamburgers all day!" But actually there are many more "Doener" and even more italian restaurants in Germany than Hamburger-restaurants. And Iīm still wondering how "typical american" the multinational furniture company IKEA . Also I really would like to know how American the company Daimler-Chrysler is (where huge company Daimler swallowed the traditional brand Chrysler to get more influence on the american market). Mhh... The old game of "selective cognition": one only recognizes those parts of reality that strengthen the own presumptions and leaves all the other facts away, that could prove the opposite. This is how prejudices work usually. Another fine example are those stories in the news (and also often posted on messageboards in the Internet) about people getting arrested in the USA for almost no reason or not allowed to enter the country to prove how fascist, dumb and different from us the USA are. E.g. an article published by german news magazine "Der Spiegel" on the case of a former terrorist member (!) of german group RAF which wasnīt allowed to enter the United States for the funeral of her mother . Sure, thatīs a pity but the same happens at European borders every day. People arenīt allowed to enter the European countries, families get teared apart by deportation, hundreds of people drown in the Mediterranean each year trying to escape starvation and death in their home countries. Well, there are no articles in european newspapers on these people, they remain anonymous. But if a white European isnīt allowed to travel somewhere- thereīs a huge outrage. The anti-capitalist wants to abolish capitalism and replace it by a liberated society^Ö the Anti-Americanist wants to abolish the USA and wants to replace it by ^Ö a strong Europe leading the world. And when nothing remains anymore of the civilization called USA and also all Israelis have been "driven back" to the Mediterranean (or murdered, who cares in Europe) ^Ö then, finally the 1000 years of peace will begin, Europe is dreaming of. Thanks, I prefer a world with Israel and the USA ^Ö till there will be finally a real solution ending all the shit going on: libertarian communism. Deaf, dumb, blind. The european way. LFO DEMON 11.12.2004 Footnotes: [1] Der Spiegel online. 11.12.2004 http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,332445,00.html -- sig/ * - / \ | ^ ^^^^ http://www.weareeverywhere.org http://www.uhc-collective.org.uk/toolbox.htm http://www.eco-action.org/dod http://www.noborder.org http://www.makeworlds.org http://www.ainfos.ca http://slash.autonomedia.org http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/3909/index/links.html http://www.reclaimthestreets.net --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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