Berlin police who searched the national office of Germany's main far-right group, the National Democratic Party (NPD), said Friday they seized digital music suspected of breaking German laws against Nazis. The 50 recordings appeared to be seditious, and a separate inquiry had been opened into distributing anti-democratic propaganda.
Police also seized an unauthorized electro-shock weapon during the nine-hour hunt Thursday of the suburban Berlin offices, which have been violently attacked by leftist groups in the past.
German authorities have sought various ways to close down the party, which has no seats in the federal parliament but has seats in two eastern German states.
The national treasurer, Erwin Kemna, 57, was remanded in custody Friday in his home town, Muenster. He is accused of misappropriating funds from the party, which receives automatic government subsidies based on its voter support.
A prosecutions spokesman, Wolfgang Schweer, said Kemna confirmed payments to himself but asserted these were repayments of money he had earlier lent to the party or of cash loans by supporters. He is alleged to have taken 627,000 euros (909,000 dollars) to bolster the balance sheet of his fitted-kitchens company.
An NPD spokesman voiced concern Friday that the party might be penalized for accounting irregularities by the treasurer. He said, "Our financial position has been perilous since the start of 2007."
The NDP denies it is Nazi, but its nationalist, anti-foreigner message and its outreach to overtly neo-Nazi groups have made it a pariah for Germany's mainstream parties.
Earth Times
It'd be a laugh if the police did this to the BNP. All kinds of crap would be discovered.
ReplyDeleteThe police seem happy to snoop on the rebels, but not Nick Griffin's untouchable BNP.
ReplyDeleteQuestions must be asked!!!
Well, the links between the nazi National Democratic Party and our very own home grown nazis, the BNP, are quite well established:
ReplyDelete1) BNP supremo Nick Griffin addressed a National Democratic Party rally in 2002.
2) National Democratic Party activists have attended BNP events in Britain.
Some more interesting links between the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the BNP. The then NDP leader, Günther Deckert, addressed a BNP meeting in 2001 and a BNP rally in 1994.
ReplyDeleteWhen Günther Deckert was jailed in Germany for anti-Jewish Holocaust denial, the February 2000 edition of BNP magazine ‘Spearhead’ carried the following message of support for Deckert: "Gunther Deckert, former leader of the German NPD party, wishes to thank all those of the BNP 'family' who thought of him and who sent their best greetings".