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Bonn Accused of Underestimating Neo-nazism in West Germany

October 27, 1981
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Heinz Galinski, chairman of the West Berlin Jewish community, has accused the authorities in Bonn of consistently playing down and under-estimating the dangers of neo-Nazism in the Federal Republic. His charges were reflected in the official publication of the West Berline domestic security services which noted the contrast between the small number of neo-Nazi activists in that city and their rapid increase in West Germany.

West Berlin, where the Allied occupation powers still exercise control, has close contacts with the Federal Republic but is not part of it. While Galinski, accused Bonn of blindness toward neo-Nazism, the West Berlin publication noted that the ban imposed by the Allies on public meetings of neo-Nazis has no counterpart in the Federal Republic. The Bonn authorities contend that such restrictions would be overturned by the country’s constitutional court.

According to the publication, exteme right-wing organizations have found little support among young people in West Berlin. Official statistics place the number of neo-Nazis in the city at 500 divided among 11 separate groups.

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