The Ku Klux Klan has established branches in at least three German cities — Berlin, Essen and Herford — according to German Interior Minister Rudolf Seiters.
Seiters said last week that on May 26, police raided 30 houses and apartments where activists of the group were staying.
Klan activists in Germany are suspected of planning violent attacks against foreigners living in the country. He said that hostels for asylum-seekers are a major target, but Jewish communities in the country have also been put on alert.
Klan activities in the country have alarmed politicians because the group’s ambitions apparently go beyond recruiting a few extremists in an isolated group.
“Their aim,” a German official said, “is to establish a permanent line of communication and cooperation between America and Germany. They believe that this country is a good place to start a European base which could later spread both to the West and to the East.”
Interior Minister Seiters said that the internal security service is still studying the confiscated written material. He said Bonn would seek Washington’s cooperation in making it difficult for Klan activists to set foot in Germany.
Germany’s laws on curbing neo-Nazi activities are far stricter than American laws. In Germany, it is illegal to display Nazi symbols, sing Nazi tunes or give the Nazi salute.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
