EXTREME RIGHT ACTIVITY SURGES DESPITE GOVERNMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BERLIN 000126 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: GM PGOV PHUM SOCI SUBJECT: EXTREME RIGHT ACTIVITY SURGES DESPITE GOVERNMENT AND CIVIC EFFORTS REF: A. 06 BERLIN 2748 ¶B. 06 HAMBURG 0054 ¶C. 06 HAMBURG 0062 ¶D. 05 LEIPZIG 0065 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Germans are growing increasingly concerned about right-extremism. Although fears that neo-Nazis might try to grab media attention during the World Cup last year did not materialize, subsequent electoral gains by the right-extremist National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) in September 2006 coincided with an increase in criminal activity by extreme nationalists of nearly 20 percent. Together with widely publicized incidents involving assaults by skinheads at campaign rallies and on public transportation, the increased criminality has led to calls for stepped up efforts to combat right-extremism. In response the German government has enhanced already robust measures, such as vigilant observation of far right groups and funding of projects to counter right-extremists. Civic organizations and the media have also encouraged projects and protests against the extreme right. Increasingly frequent calls for the prohibition of the NPD, however, indicate the deep frustration of many German politicians with failure to rein in right-extremists. End Summary. Right-Extremist Acts Increase -------------- ¶2. (U) According to the Federal Criminal Office, the number of right-extremist crimes increased nearly 20% in the first 11 months of 2006 compared to the same period a year ago. This is the highest level in five years and represents an increase of more than 50% over a two year period. (Note: The number of right-extremist individuals under surveillance by the government has remained fairly steady in recent years.) In addition to so-called "propaganda" offenses (e.g., display of banned materials) and desecration of Jewish cemeteries, right-wing violence has increased and right-extremists appear to be increasingly brazen. For example, right-extremists attempted to intimidate voters and candidates in the run-up to the September 17 Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elections by forcibly disrupting campaign events of other parties. Such intimidation tactics included attacks on other parties' campaign workers. Right-Extremist Attitudes Also a Concern -------------- ¶3. (U) Beyond the criminality described above, a significant minority of the German population shares some attitudes that many would find right-extremist. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) published an exhaustive study in November 2006 entitled "From the Edge to the Center" on the attitudes of 5,036 Germans which found significant support for anti-Semitic, anti-democratic, and anti-foreigner views. For example, nearly 18 percent agreed with the statement that Jews exert too great an influence; 13.8 percent agreed that Jews (more than others) use unsavory means to achieve their objectives; 11 percent agreed that National Socialism had its good aspects; and 39.1 percent agreed that Germany is dangerously overrun with foreign influences stemming from immigrants. (Note: The 2006 statistics are roughly unchanged from prior polls in 2002 and 2004.) ¶4. (U) According to this study, extreme right attitudes are found among Germans of a wide range of ages, educational levels, party affiliation, and region. The study also claimed that anti-foreigner attitudes were not limited to members of extreme right parties, but were also held by supporters of the major parties. For example, of respondents who support the CDU, 25.6 percent in the western states and 28.1 in the eastern states held anti-foreigner views. This conclusion tends to contradict the common perception that such attitudes are found almost exclusively among young unemployed easterners. Remarkably, the study also found that some extreme right attitudes, such as anti-Semitism and support for some aspects of Nazi governance, were actually more prevalent among western respondents than eastern ones. This finding suggests that right-extremism is not simply and primarily a problem of the new federal states that will disappear once these states overcome their economic and social problems. NPD's New Campaign Strategy Leads to Electoral Success -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) The attitudes measured in the FES study might have BERLIN 00000126 002 OF 003 contributed to the electoral success that the NPD has recently enjoyed in eastern Germany. Most notably, the NPD won seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament by capturing 7.3% (59,845 votes) in the September 17, 2006 election, up from only 0.8% in 2002 (reftels A, B, and C.) On the same day in Berlin, NPD candidates gained seats in district assemblies, despite falling short of the 5% threshold required to enter the Berlin state parliament. ¶6. (U) The NPD's electoral success is partly due to widespread frustration in the eastern states over unemployment rates that have exceeded 20 percent. The party's specific recent successes, however, are also due to a more calculated and effective campaign strategy than the party has used in the past. For example, the NPD in 2004 reached a new agreement with another extreme right party, the German People's Union (DVU),not to compete directly against one another -- they have divided up Germany among themselves for election purposes. This strategy minimizes splintering of the right-extremist vote, improving each party's chance to cross the percentage threshold required to gain seats in an elected body. Also, networking among the state NPD groups intensified as leaders of the Saxon NPD, such as Holger Apfel, contributed the party's resources and campaign expertise to the NPD campaign efforts in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. ¶7. (U) The NPD's electoral success is also the result of an important development in the organization of right radicals. After a wave of government bans of small neo-Nazi clubs in the early 1990's, many right-extremists began to organize themselves more loosely into "free comradeships." Because of their nebulous organization, authorities have found it difficult to monitor and ban such groups. A main goal of these free comradeships is to recruit impressionable youth into their circles through seemingly innocent activities such as sports training, social events, and rock concerts. These free comradeships, in recent years, have begun to form networks. Moreover, the NPD has succeeded in uniting some such free comradeships under its umbrella and can, therefore, easily use this grassroots network in election campaigning. ¶8. (U) According to the national Law on Political Parties, any political party that receives over 0.5 percent of the popular vote in a federal election is eligible for federal government financing. As a consequence of this law, the NPD receives some federal funding. The far right also funds their activities through membership fees, donations (which account for more than half of their total revenue and include mandatory partial refunds of salaries by elected representatives, police report),and the sale of right-extremist music CD's, clothes, and concert tickets. The DVU is largely funded by its leader, Bavarian publisher and multi-millionaire Gerhard Frey. German Government Efforts to Control Right-Extremism -------------- -------------- ¶9. (U) The German government takes extremist activity in Germany very seriously, often combating it using means that would be considered overreaching in other democracies. For example, the German Basic Law (constitution) has for many years permitted the prohibition of political parties and other extremist organizations whose activities "contravene criminal laws or are directed against the constitutional order or the concept of international understanding" as described in Article 9(2) of the Basic Law. Using this legal authority, federal and state governments have in the past banned numerous extremist groups. The law also forbids the use of propaganda of Nazi and other banned groups. Additionally, federal and state Offices for the Protection of the Constitution (OPC) monitor extremist organizations, both by the collection of publicly available information and intelligence gathering. Federal and state authorities have also conducted raids against neo-Nazis and confiscated their weapons. Courts have handed down strict sentences against right-extremists in recent years. ¶10. (U) Under the general rubric of political education, the federal government has supported 4,500 initiatives aimed at combating right-extremism. These initiatives include mobile advisory teams, support for victims of right-extremist attacks, and educational and employment initiatives aimed at steering impressionable youth away from right-extremism. The current Grand Coalition federal government has recently renewed the annual 19 million euro budget for such anti-extremist educational programs, adding an extra 5 million euros for 2007. States also typically fund, BERLIN 00000126 003 OF 003 organize, and run similar educational programs at their level. ¶11. (U) Civic organizations are active in speaking out against far-right activities as well. Labor unions, the major religious groups, and some political parties organize demonstrations and campaigns against neo-Nazi organizations. Many such organizations run political education programs aimed at building support for democracy and tolerance. As a rule, extreme right events draw far more anti-extreme right counter-demonstrators than actual participants. Editorial opinion and reporting in the media is overwhelmingly critical of the extreme right. Should the NPD be Banned? -------------- ¶12. (U) Despite the significant resources dedicated by German government and society, frustration over the increase in the number and boldness of right-extremist activities has led many politicians, including Vice Chancellor Franz Muentefering, to call for the prohibition of the NPD. In March 2003, the Federal Constitutional Court rejected a proposed ban on the NPD because the federal government refused to reveal the activities of its informants within the NPD. For this reason, proposals for a ban are not likely to succeed, at least in the short-term. At any rate, a ban would do little to mitigate the attitudes described in the FES study and voters could simply shift their support to legal parties such as the DVU or Republikaner. Many, including some prominent Jewish figures, have argued that a ban would actually be counter-productive and that Germany needs to face down the extreme right challenge in open debate. Comment -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The German government is taking significant steps to counter neo-Nazi activity and extreme right attitudes by implementing and supporting well-funded anti-extremist educational programs and aggressively monitoring extremist groups, indicating that the German government has the will to undertake robust measures to tackle this problem. Although German democracy is not threatened, the recent sharp up-tick in extreme right activity despite these significant efforts suggests that the German government has not yet identified the right mix of measures to contain and solve the problem. TIMKEN JR