Neo-Nazis throw Hitler birthday bash in France

German neo-Nazis, hamstrung by tough laws at home, are increasingly organizing gatherings across the French border, including a recent commemoration of Adolf Hitler's 125th birthday.

Facing intense media scrutiny in Germany and tough legislation, many neo-Nazis have turned to surrounding countries to stage concerts and other events, including France's northeastern border regions of Alsace and Lorraine.

The area, which was under German control for about 40 years and only reverted to France after World War I, was the venue for a recent ceremony to mark Hitler's birthday.

Some 200 people crossed the border for the party on April 19 in a communal hall in the Alsace town of Oltingue, near the border with Germany and Switzerland.

Local officials were in the dark until after it was held as the organizers kept their plans a close secret. They even banned participants from bringing cameras and cellphones.

"We sometimes have these kind of rallies, generally in the Moselle region, which is very close to Germany," said a police officer in Lorraine, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The officer said the events were "very tightly controlled and discreet" and did not "cause any trouble or pose any threat to public order".

Police said, "As a result, we do not have the authority to go in and see what is happening.

"We can ban an event if there is a precise objective, but this is never the case."

Germany has toughened its laws to prevent the resurgence of Nazism, launching strict measures against such gatherings.

"Apart from restrictions limiting the number of people gathered in a hall, sporting any Nazi emblems or any linked objects is illegal even in private," said Gideon Botsch, a researcher of the far-right at the University of Potsdam.

Liberal laws

German authorities have also cracked down on neo-Nazi hard rock groups. Songs espousing Nazi ideology or containing racist words are blacklisted and their sale is banned in the country.

"The more liberal laws in neighboring countries afford neo-Nazis opportunities" to hold events there, Botsch said, naming France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium.

But they take care to hide their intentions and leave no traces to avoid prosecution abroad.

In Volmunster, in the Moselle region near Germany, neo-Nazis have organized concerts in recent years at a discreet and isolated private chalet.

"I don't know if the land belongs to them but its owner is German," said Volmunster Mayor Daniel Schaff.

"They hold music events from time to time," he said. "But it's always orderly and the following day everything is clean. Nobody even complains. What can one do?" he said.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 04/29/2014 page10)