soc.culture.german: Violence Update

Violence update - November 1993

Ich habe in den Jahren 1992-1994 für die Usenet-Forum soc.culture.german über viele Fälle von rechts-gerichteter Gewalt berichtet, die mit kleine Notizen in den Zeitungen erschienen sind. Ich habe einige wiedergefunden über Google, ich verlinke sie hier mit einer Überblick.

1. November 1993
- Oberhof (?), Thueringen: The American luge team, which was participating in Olympic pre-trials here, has left Germany in protest over a racial incident. While members of the team were attempting to enter a discothek, a group of teenage skinheads began insulting a black member of the team. A (white) team member entered the conflict in defense of his colleague, and was attacked (kicked and beaten) by the group. Police have rounded up some of the skinheads, in age between 15 and 19 years. An editorial in the Berliner "Tagespiegel" noted that this will hurt Germany much more than the incidents against asylum seekers, because the Americans will protest.
- Berlin-Hoehenschoenhausen: A group of about 15 right wing youth attacked a 28-year-old Russian who was tending his vegetable and fruit stand in this eastern part of town. Shouting "This is Germany, and we can do what we want in our own country", the overturned boxes of
  merchandise and beat up the owner.
- The Republikaner held their national party over the weekend, which was strongly protested by many youth. They put togheter their lists for the elections, Schoenhueber is on the slate for the Europa-Parliament. A CDU-member attended and was heartily welcomed from the podium. Since the man is a member of the state parliament of Lower Saxony, members of his party have begun an attempt to get him removed from the CDU (and his post).
- [And a private note, I met an otherwise nice 75-year old man over the weekend, who suddenly began blurting right-wing comments, such as "These (foreigners) get 1200,- DM a month for drug dealing and prostitution, I worked all my life in (East) Germany and I only get 1500,-- DM a month. They ought to all be sent back". Discussing didn't help, he firmly believed that each asylum seeker obtains so much money. (The truth is closer to 400 DM, much less if food is provided in the asylum shelters.) After spouting on and on about the foreigners that are "making us so unhappy", he realized that I am a foreigener, and said "Well, I don't mean the good ones". His wife made him stop talking :-), but it rather rattled me, that perfectly normal people believe all this right-wing rhetoric, and vent their anger against foreigners.]
5. November 1993
- A wave of violence hit Turkish businesses throughout Europe yesterday. Consulates, restaurants, travel agencies and banks were fire bombed in London, Copenhagen, Vienna, Strausborg, a number of Swiss towns and in 14 cities in Germany (including 3 sites in Berlin).
- In Wiesbaden, a fire at a Turkish restaurant claimed the life of a diner and critically injured 8 others. The Kurdish resistance movement, PKK, is assumed to be responsible for the violence. [Interestingly, inside of hours the police hat arrested 14 persons - they apparently keep better tabs on the Kurds than on the right-wing youth. -dww]
- A right-wing procession on Memorial Day (Volkstrauertag) has been refused by the government in Brandenburg.
- The youth connected with the death of a black man who "voluntarily" jumped to his death from a moving streetcar have been sentenced for manslaughter to sentences between 18 months and 3 years [I left my notes at home, I forget whether it was a suspended sentence, I just remember being mad at the sentences being so light.]
8 November 1993
- Stockholm, Sweden: Neo-nazi youth conducted a public meeting here which was disturbed by left-wing youth. A riot broke out, 10 persons were arrested by the police.
- Waldshut: An asylum shelter here ("Wohncontainer", little metal huts) that had been attacked about 6 months ago was again the target of violence. This time, a fire-bomb was thrown into a living area, a large fire erupted. About 200.000 DM of damage was done, one fire fighter suffered smoke inhalation. The container was home for 17 Kurds who are seeking asylum. A 14-person investigation committee has been formed, and a reward for apprehending the arsonists has been promised.
- Erfurt: A group of skinheads kicked down the door of a homeless shelter here, tore up the place and injured a 45 year old man by kicking him badly. No clues yet as to who did it. [A friend of mine made the mistake of looking like a homeless person in Erfurt 3 years ago. He too was beaten up, they kicked an eye into his head. He managed to get away and began ringing doorbells, people were afraid to open their doors. He finally found someone who helped him to the hospital. He still can't see properly. There was a trial, the youth got off with suspended sentences. Nice town, Erfurt. -dww]
- Storkow: A Russiian cemetary was vandalized, swastikas and SS symbols were painted on the graves. The article noted that there has been a rash of such vandalizations in the area lately.
- [Note to the poster who thinks we live in paradise in Germany and was bothered that sentences do not seem to deterr crimes: there was a recent study that discovered that the chance of serving time for a crime committed in the States is minimal. There are threats of sentences, but none follow through. Perhaps there's a lesson here?]
12 November 1993
Berlin: The mother of a former Neo-Nazi narrowly escaped an attempt on her life. She is the mother of the former leader of the NA, an offshoot of the now-forbidden DA party, who resigned from the party after the murders in Solingen [he wrote a book about leaving the party which sold thousands of copies]. She had been receiving threatening letters for a while. When a package was delivered to her with a few exposed wires she called the police - the bomb experts found 500 grams of TNT and a rather crude detonator. The return address on the package was a well-known left-wing activist in town, the construction of the bomb typical for right-wing groups, according to the "Tagespiegel". Twenty-two houses had to be evacuated for the disarming of the bomb.