Nazis return into German parliaments
It is rather worrying to see how in Germany the Nazis are slowly coming back into power realm of local and regional governments, including the governments of the federal states. After the “Republicans” entered the Landtag in Baden-Würtenberg with 11%, the Deutsche Volksunion (German People's Union) with 8% the Landtag in Thüringen, the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), the successor organization of the NSDAP, with 6% into the Landtag of Saxony, now the NPD became a party of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 7%. (5% being the threshold with which parties can enter the parliaments).
While some may say that this is only a very small percentage and therefore only a small percentage of seats those parties will have in the respective parliaments we must remember that this now means that the Nazis are represented, yet again, in four of the German federal states (and this, by all accounts, might just be a beginning – unfortunately) and thereby have some influence on German policies. It also has to be remembered that the National-Socialist Workers' Party of Germany, the NSDAP, the Party of Adolf Hitler, also had only a small number of seats and nevertheless managed to take over the country in the end. This is a worrying trend indeed and one that we, the Romani-Gypsy People must watch with great caution. For many years, in fact for decades, I have been predicting that nothing ever had changed in Germany and that the Nazis and Fascists had only become silent as it was not acceptable policy but that they were still pulling strings behind the scenes and I am sure that they have and still do. Then came the fall of the Wall and when the attitudes of the East Germans came to the surface against foreigners and also and especially against Sinti and Roma it became self evident that even under the Communist rule fascism had never been eradicated from the German soul and mind. Now I hear from places such as Erfurt that Sinti who are looking for housing are refused by many social housing providers openly on account of being Sinti and even the local municipality appears to be telling them that while they have a duty to provide housing for them they do not really want to have Sinti (and Roma) as tenants.
Racist attacks by skinheads against German Gypsies and Gypsies from France visiting, firebombing of encampments and flats, are being nigh on ignored by the police and racist statements by high ranking police officers are being ignored by the law. Gypsy businessmen booking into hotels being initially told that rooms are available and their bookings are taken over the phone when they arrive are being told “sorry, we are full. There was a double booking” or some are even told “sorry, we have nothing for you because you are on the computer as being a Gypsy” and no redress can be found, it would appear. This is Germany not of the 1930's and 1940's but Germany of the 21st century. Nothing has ever changed as to the education policy as far as Gypsies are concerned. The majority of Gypsy children are, after having their induction to school, are sent after a short while during which they are being “assessed” to so-called “Hilfsschule” (at least that's how such a school was called years ago) or as they also used to be called “schools for the educational subnormal”. Some are sent there already after a couple of days in “ordinary” school. This has been more or less official policy ever since the Third Reich. Those that have made it in the world like, for instance, CID Chief Inspector Günther Weiss from Kehl/Rhein, are the exception to the rule. We can only assume that things will get worse rather than better with Nazis back in the parliaments of those federal states.
Police action in recent months against Gypsy encampments in Germany also must be taken into consideration here, such as the case of the Gypsy Mission “Life & Light” in Düsseldorf, Northrhine-Westphalia, where so-called Order Police was deployed to remove them, then we really have to worry about the state of Germany and also, with it, of what may happen to the Gypsy People throughout Europe, considering that Germany is, supposedly, one of the leading lights (and if that is the case then it is rather dark) of the EU.
I think that it can only be said from what we are seeing that nothing has ever changed in Germany, whether in the West, which was claimed to be a bastion of democracy, nor in the East, in the Socialist Worker and Farmer State, the then German Democratic Republic. It would appear that there is something rather faulty with the German psyche and soul and racism and fascism have only been plastered over to the outside world for a while. Now the true face of Germany is showing itself once again, at least as far as the Gypsy are concerned.
© M V Smith, September 18, 2006
