A weekend with Hitler and strawberries

The limits of free speech in a democracy is an age old question. Personally, I find that censoring any opinions is a dangerous precedent, especially those that may be unpopular with the ruling elites. So what to do about this?

Germany’s far-right National Democratic party (NPD) has triggered outrage with plans for a Third Reich-style “training centre” in a small village.

The mastermind of the scheme is Jürgen Rieger, a lawyer and deputy leader of the anti-immigrant, anti-EU party that is steeped in pride for Adolf Hitler and the “achievements” of the Nazi regime. The idea is for the old Hotel Gerhus at Fassberg, near Hanover, to become a place of pilgrimage for NPD devotees, where they can learn about the “menace” of immigration, the “criminality” of Roma gypsies and the “innate decency of law-abiding German nationalists”.

Mr Rieger, 61, has also tried to open Boys From Brazil-style “breeding centres” in other locations; the plan being for all white, Ayran racists like himself to produce offspring to people the Fourth Reich, which he believes is coming one day.

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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