Ugly Echoes in Germany

Fueled by anti-immigrant hysteria, the far right has been a pervasive force throughout much of Europe in recent years. A resurgent neo-Nazi movement seems to be gathering strength even in Germany.

The commemoration on Feb. 13 of the 60th anniversary of the Allied bombing of Dresden near the end of World War II provided the most alarming illustration of the neo-Nazi presence in eastern Germany. Meant to strike a conciliatory tone, the day was hijacked by thousands of neo-Nazi protesters railing against the “Anglo-American bomb terror,” Jews and foreigners.

They compared the bombing of Dresden to American attacks on Vietnam and Baghdad. In recent opinion polls, as many as 30% of young Germans agree with the statement that the bombing of Dresden, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, was morally comparable to the Holocaust.

This ludicrous comparison grows out of decades of communist propaganda. The East German regime demonized Britain and the United States during the Cold War, often likening the Allies to the Nazi regime. Dresden was its case in point. The morality of bombing German cities can be debated, but the idea that “Florence on the Elbe” was essentially devoid of any strategic value is hyperbole.

The far-right National Democratic Party won nearly 10% of the vote last fall in parliamentary elections in Saxony, the state that counts Dresden as its capital. The party subtly combines the issues of immigration and welfare cuts and blames foreigners for all ills.

German xenophobia is not likely to vanish soon, and mainstream politicians need to be careful to not exploit it for their own political gain. Fanning flames can end in a big fire.