German Neo-Nazis Rally but Drop March
About 3,000 supporters of an extreme-right party rallied Sunday on the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to Allied forces in World War II, but at least 5,000 counterdemonstrators kept them from marching in downtown Berlin.
National Democratic Party supporters, ringed by riot police on Alexanderplatz, rallied for several hours but agreed to scrap the march after a larger group of opponents moved to block their planned route, police spokesman Bodo Pfalzgraf said.
Reinforcements from across Germany were among the hundreds of police who separated the two sides. No clashes were reported.
The far-right party said the rally was to protest the “cult of guilt” it says was imposed on Germany after the Nazi defeat. Many demonstrators wore all black and had shaved heads.
Some carried flags in red, white and black -- the colors used by the Nazis and imperial Germany.
“This is a disgrace,” said Interior Minister Otto Schily, who has accused the party of reviving Nazi ideology and symbols.
Police sealed off much of downtown to prevent clashes and protect the landmark Brandenburg Gate, where mainstream political leaders and about 10,000 spectators attended a “Day of Democracy” celebration with music and speeches.
Most Germans consider the Third Reich’s surrender a liberation for them as well as the rest of Europe from the terrors of Nazism.
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