22 Anti-nazi Activists Go on Trial in West Germany

— The trial of 22 anti-Nazi activists accused of violent behavior opened in Bad Hersfeld today amid protests by more than 200 demonstrators who denounced the proceedings. The charges, brought by the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD), stem from nationwide rallies against the NPD’s traditional “Deutschland Meeting” last June 17 in which the defendants were allegedly involved.

The prosecutor of the federal state of Hessen claims the anti-Nazis resorted to intimidation and violence in the course of illegal demonstrations that constituted a breach of the peace. The protestors, who began their vigil outside the Bad Hersfeld court last weekend, said their demonstration would continue as long as the proceedings lasted. But they themselves face possible prosecution in the nearby city of Fulda.

The authorities there are reported to be considering bringing charges against the anti-Nazis for intimidating the court in Bad Hersfeld. They cited a placard carried by the protestors that warned that unless the accused are acquitted there would be riots.

One of the accused is 22-year-old Leon Shackman, an Israeli photographer who has been covering neo-Nazi activities in West Germany for two years. Shackman said he was severely beaten by neo-Nazis without provocation. The NPD intends to show the court an 8 mm. film allegedly proving that the photographer had acted in a violent manner.

Meanwhile, Peter Chotjewitz, an author who is participating in the Bad Hersfeld protest, observed that the federal constitution guarantees the right of every citizen to resist Nazism. He said the charges brought against the anti-Nazi activists were a violation of that right.