Communists in East Germany Stage Protest
Tens of thousands of Communist supporters rallied in the East German capital Saturday to protest the government’s decision to take control of the ousted party’s vast holdings.
The protesters rallied in a park to denounce what they called the “fascist” action of the democratic leadership. “First, PDS banned. Second, books burned. Third, Auschwitz?” read a banner at the rally, seeking to compare the government to Hitler’s Nazi regime.
PDS stands for the Party of Democratic Socialism, the reconstituted Communist Party that lost power last year.
The government news agency ADN estimated the crowd at about 65,000 people.
The protesters were angry about the decision by Parliament on Thursday to put the vast holdings of the defunct Communist Party in trust pending an investigation by an independent commission of their value and ownership.
The former Communists amassed millions, perhaps billions, of dollars in houses, businesses and property during their four decades in power.
Lawmaker Gregor Gysi, leader of the former Communist faction that holds 66 seats in the 400-member Parliament, has accused the government of seeking to eliminate his party by seizing its assets.
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