Berlin stages mass rally against racism

BERLIN, Germany -- Tens of thousands of Germans, headed by political and religious leaders, are gathering in Berlin for a rally to condemn neo-Nazi violence.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and leaders of all the other major political parties will join trade unionists, bishops and Jewish leaders and sports and cultural celebrities for a rally against intolerance in central Berlin.

The rally is taking place 62 years after the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) pogrom that heralded the Holocaust. Marches are also planned in Dresden and Cologne.

"We cannot and will not tolerate people falling victim to violence because of the colour of their skin, their religion or social standing," Schroeder told Bild newspaper.

It is a day for coinciding anniversaries, marking Germany's ambiguous 20th century -- the declaration of its flawed first democracy, the Weimar Republic in 1918, Hitler's first bid for power in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Kristallnacht in 1938 and the opening of the Berlin Wall 11 years ago.

MESSAGE BOARD Germany today

"November 9 is a date in German history, for better and for worse, which obliges us all permanently to defend democracy anew," the march's promoters said. "We stand for a humane and tolerant Germany, open to the world."

The demonstrators will march for about 1.5 km (one mile) to the landmark Brandenburg Gate -- once the symbol of the division of Berlin by the Wall.

On Wednesday, the government took steps to ban a small neo-Nazi party it says is behind an upsurge in racist and anti-Semitic violence that has shocked the nation.

It began action against the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) with the cabinet approving a request to the courts to deregister the organisation.

Contending that the NPD's actions and policies were racist, anti-democratic and therefore unconstitutional, the action sets in train a constitutional process that could take two years.

Critics immediately questioned the effectiveness of any attempt to ban the party and suggested it might backfire.

The request will now be voted on by both houses of federal parliament within the next few weeks and if approved, would then proceed to Germany's Constitutional Court in the western city of Karlsruhe. The issue of whether to ban the anti-immigrant NPD has stirred vigorous debate in Germany, amid a rising number of neo-Nazi attacks on immigrants.

Some of the incidents have been linked to members of the NPD, which has increasingly become associated with young skinheads.

"In a country where there were gas chambers for the extermination of millions of Jews, it is impossible to tolerate organised anti-Semitism," Interior Minister Otto Schily said, adding: "The clear anti-Semitic profile of this party can be well documented."

The NPD has about 6,000 members and no seats in parliament.

Critics of the ban say the party could simply operate under a different name, or its members could go underground.

They also said the move could backfire if the NPD portrays itself as the victim of a political crackdown and attracts fresh support from other right-wing groups.

Libertarians said the move was undemocratic and that Germany is a mature enough democracy to tolerate fringe parties.

Conservative and leftist state interior ministers last month considered bipartisan support for the ban but stopped short when two states demurred.

Nevertheless, the government of Chancellor Schroeder insists that the party is not only unconstitutional, but it must be banned to prevent the flow of public campaign funding to it.

Last year, it was given about DM 1.1 million ($500,000) based on the number of votes it received.

If the courts approve the government's effort, it would be the first time Germany has banned a political group since a far-right party and a communist party were declared illegal in the 1950s.

Reuters contributed to this report.

German cabinet backs far-right party ban
November 8, 2000
Massive march against German neo-Nazis
October 28, 2000

Germany's Federal Parliament

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