Right-Wing Extremism, Neo-Nazism and Xenophobia on the Rise in Germany?

Wolfgang Tiefensee, the minister responsible for development in the eastern states, told German news agency DPA, "Support for Nazi ideas in Germany is making people fear for their lives. We can't have this on German streets. We can't have this in schools and at the workplace."

He said the seriousness of what had occurred in Muegeln could not be understated. "These incidents again remind us the subject of right-wing extremism is something we need to deal with continually in Germany, and particularly in eastern Germany," Tiefensee was quoted by the news agency as saying.

Since German reunification in 1990, racist violence has been a recurring problem in East Germany, the poorer part of the country. Last year, crimes committed by neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists reached the highest level since reunification.

Stern Magazine published a recent survey of 14- to 25-year-olds by the Forsa opinion poll institute, which showed that one out of two youths in eastern Germany now believe that National Socialism had "its good sides."

Unemployment is still extremely high in the former East Germany and discontent is growing. Many young people must leave their home towns to find jobs in western Germany.

Those left behind often become easy targets for right-wing ideas represented by Germany's nationalist political party, the NPD. The far-right NPD, which is legal in Germany, is best known for slogans such as "German jobs for Germans" or "Foreigners out."

The party is viewed by its opponents and the mainstream media as a de-facto neo-Nazi party. The accusations stem from the NPD's opposition to the increasing number of nonwhites, Jews and Muslims living in Germany.

Party philosophy also mandates that the current political system in Germany is illegitimate and that NATO fails to represent German interests. The party platform also calls for revision of the post-war border agreement.

The NPD is represented in two regional parliaments in eastern Germany and its members are finding it easier to gain footholds in local councils in eastern Germany. Funding is often made available for youth centers of the far-right.