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Fight the Nazi Scourge ! Fascism and the German Left
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Scourge, Nazi |
| Copyright Year | 1997 |
| Abstract | BERLIN, 24 April----German fascism continues its ominous resurgence. In the three years following the capitalist reunification of Germany in October 1990, there were over 75 fascist-inspired murders in Germany. Clandestine fire-bombing attacks on immigrants and minorities occur every week. The Nazi principle of eliminating ‘‘useless eaters’’ has resulted in a horrifying wave of murderous attacks on handicapped children and adults, homeless persons and the elderly. Fascist attacks on leftists are on the rise, and Nazi propaganda is increasingly directed at the trade unions, which are accused of ‘‘endangering German coal and steel.’’ There has also been an increase in anti-Semitism. Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated and recently the synagogue in Lübeck was the target of arson. The fascist bands are growing, but they are still relatively small and, at least in the major urban areas, have not been able to achieve physical superiority over militant anti-fascists. Yet so far no effective counter-movement has developed. The prolonged siege of asylum seekers in Rostock by fascist-led mobs in 1992 was bad for Germany’s image abroad. After the massive international media coverage of the firebomb murders of Turkish women and children in Mölln and Solingen last year, the German government felt compelled to announce a ‘‘crackdown’’ on rightist terror. The fascists responded by holding large national rallies to celebrate the firebombings. The police attended and looked on impassively. While officially disapproving of Nazi terrorism, the state’s real attitude is reflected in the extremely lenient treatment accorded the handful of fascists arrested and brought to court. Even those convicted of murder usually receive extremely light sentences. Occasionally, for public-relations purposes, a Nazi group is banned, but it reappears the next day under a new name. On those rare occasions when the police ‘‘forbid’’ Nazi mobilizations, they do so because of the ‘‘danger to social peace from counter-demonstrators.’’ The Nazis obligingly change the location of their provocation to somewhere less accessible for the left and inevitably receive massive police protection. During the August 1993 march through Fulda to mark ‘‘Rudolf Hess Memorial Day,’’ the police closed the area to anti-fascist demonstrators and left the streets open to the Nazis. The German capitalists certainly have no intention of handing over political power to the deranged Hitlerite hooligans. But the Nazi gangs have a certain utility as the ruling class seeks to deflect social unrest caused by falling living standards and rising unemployment by scapegoating foreigners. This xenophobic sentiment, in turn, provides a fertile milieu for the growth of fascism. The racist attacks provide the rulers with a cheap and effective way of discouraging ‘‘illegal’’ immigrants and refugees, while also exerting pressure on Germany’s sizeable immigrant population. The fascists may sometimes be a bit of an embarrassment, but they are valuable auxiliaries to the official capitalist state apparatus. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.bolshevik.org/1917/no14fasc.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
