More than any book or exhibition, even more than school lessons, popular feature films influence Germans’ image of their own history. That is not new knowledge perhaps, nor is it surprising. But as articulated by Hans Walter Hütter, director of the “Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland” (House of History of the Federal Republic of Germany), the claim carries a lot of weight. Hütter adds, “In the final analysis, historical accuracy and authentic scenery don’t insure high ratings and ticket sales. They depend more on telling an interesting, often melodramatic story.” So does a people’s notion of its history depend on suspense rather than verity, emotional content more than historic accuracy? Or, in fact, is knowledge of history based on false or at least fictive narratives? That may be true, indicates the exhibition”Inszeniert – Deutsche Geschichte im Spielfilm” (In Scene – German History in Feature Film), while demonstrating that without filmmaking, broad sectors of the public wouldn’t be confronted with historical subjects at all. How have directors come to terms with history? “In Scene – German History in Feature Film” is the name of the exhibition in Bonn’s “House of History” from June 9 until January 15, 2017. The curators have set it up in seven rooms matching as many chapters of history, showing how in the past 70 years, directors have addressed the Holocaust, World War II, resistance to Nazi Germany, flight and expulsion, the economic miracle, leftist terrorism in West Germany, and East Germany and its state security…more detail
Fact and fiction: German films and history
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The impression that an organization, public institution or a company makes depends on a number of factors including a professional public appearance, interview skills and social media know-how. Executives and managers from a wide range of German and foreign organizations look to DW Akademie for its long-standing expertise in media training. We offer workshops, coaching and consulting services.Our clients include • Alumni Portal Deutschland • Amt der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM) • ARD public broadcasater • Bavarian State Opera • Beethoven-Haus Bonn • Berghof Foundation • Bundeskunsthalle Bonn • Bundeswehr • CARE • Chamber of Foreign Trade (AHK) • Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) • City of Bonn • Deutsche Akademie für Internationale Zusammenarbeit • Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) • Deutsches Kulturforum • Deutsche Post • Deutsche Welthungerhilfe • Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen • Europäische Akademie Berlin • Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) • Fachhochschule Köln • Fairtrade • Federal Foreign Office • Federal Government for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) • Freie Universität Berlin • Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung • Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit • German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) • German Development Institute (GDI) • Germany's Relief Coalition • German Research Foundation (DGF) • Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe • Jobcenter Arbeit Hellweg Aktiv (AHA) • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung • Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland • Renewable Energy Agency • Reporter ohne Grenzen • Secusmart • Sparkasse • Staatskanzlei des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt • Tourismusverband Oberbayern • Transparency International Deutschland • UNESCO • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) •…... [read more]
Socialism, fascist-style: hostility to capitalism plus extreme racism
The groups that marched through Charlottesville last weekend with clubs, shields and cans of mace were clearly drawn from the most extreme and violent end of America’s far right. But key elements of the ideology of at least some of them echo themes that have animated populist groups across the political spectrum, including on the left. The United States was never immune to fascism. Not then, not now | David Motadel Read more In their chants and placards, the marchers were explicitly fascist, racist and antisemitic. One of their number is accused of murdering a leftwing activist with his car and injuring many more. They came prepared to do violence to leftists, whom they consider to be existential enemies. They weren’t shy about any of this, and the event was the crest of an extremist wave that has been swelling since well before Donald Trump’s inauguration. But at the same time, some of the groups that marched evince a hostility to neoliberal capitalism, which is equal to that of the most ardent supporters of Bernie Sanders, the leftwing populist who mounted a vigorous challenge to Hillary Clinton during last year’s Democratic primaries – although for the far right it comes inextricably linked to a virulent racism. Many also support the enhancement of the welfare state. For example, those marching under the red and blue banners of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) have signed up to a manifesto that supports a living wage, sweeping improvements in healthcare, an end to sales…... [read more]
Berlin police tighten security for neo-Nazi march after Charlottesville attack
Up to 1,000 neo-Nazis from Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic are expected to march through Berlin this weekend to commemorate the death of Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess. Authorities say a counter-demonstration opposing the rightwing extremism has also been registered. While Berlin police said Saturday’s demonstrations could not be likened to recent events at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, special measures would be taken to protect both marches from possible terror attacks. “We have certainly adjusted our security concept in light of recent events in Charlottesville, Barcelona, London and Berlin,” said Carsten Müller. The march has been registered near the site of a former prison where the 93-year-old Hess hanged himself on 17 August 1987. The rally faces a series of stipulations, meaning that participants will have to worship their idol without naming or showing images of the man who acted as Germany’s deputy between 1933 and 1941. A ban on Nazi symbols and language codified by allied forces in 1949 outlaws the display of swastikas and SS insignia at far-right rallies, while paragraph 140 of the German penal code prohibits the “glorification” of the National Socialist regime. Organisers of the march are trying to appeal against a further set of police stipulations, a final version of which will be announced shortly before the event. According to a report in Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, they include bans on marching music, the reading aloud of lists of “political enemies”, the display of more than one flag per 50…... [read more]
‘Alt-right’, ‘alt-left’ – the rhetoric of hate after Charlottesville
The left-right spectrum of political speech is getting increasingly crowded. The rise of Donald Trump has popularised the term “alt-right”, which sounds more indie and cool than “far right”. Meanwhile, those on the alt-right have recently begun to describe their opponents as the “alt-left” – a coinage that, asymmetrically, seems to be an attempt to rhetorically downgrade them to a fringe group of eccentrics, rather than a broad coalition of people who don’t like racism much. “What about the ‘alt-left’ that came charging at the, as you say, the ‘alt-right’?” Trump asked, Solomonically, after the clashes in Charlottesville. “Do they have any semblance of guilt?” Some of the people who actually protest against alt-right protesters in the US are from a group called “Antifa”, short for anti-fascist. Their opponents happily adopt the term, aiming to paint any and all anti-racist liberals as a small militant conspiracy, but their acquiescence in such language seems a bit peculiar when you think about it. American shock-babbler Ann Coulter, for example, tweeted that she hoped Trump would denounce “the violent left-wing Antifa that shut down my Berkeley speech!” If Coulter agrees to call her opponents “Antifa”, does it logically follow that she is happy to identify as a fascist? “Fascist”, of course, has long been a term of abuse on the left that has not, historically, been restricted to actual fascists, but applied liberally to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, George W Bush and many others before Trump. As Samantha Power, author of A Problem from…... [read more]
Neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and internet trolls: who's who in the far right
The “Unite the Right” torchlight march and rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend descended into violent clashes with counter-protesters, as far-right groups chanted racist slogans and – many kitted out with shields, sticks, helmets and pepper spray – performed the Hitler salute and waved neo-Nazi flags. The events shone a spotlight on a number of disparate groups and individuals who have been emboldened since Donald Trump’s populist rightwing election victory. The Southern Poverty Law Center civil rights organisation has identified the leading rightwing extremist organizations whose members and cheerleaders attended Charlottesville and who could be spotted at a growing number of such events around the US, as they seek to expand their reach, raise their profiles and coalesce around an agenda of militant white glorification. Charlottesville reveals an emboldened far right that can no longer be ignored Read more Neo-Nazis Neo-Nazis are principally members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), which grew out of the original American Nazi party, founded in 1959. The NSM specifically espouses the policies of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich and is believed to be the largest and most widespread neo-Nazi organization in the country, with chapters in 40 states. The group lionizes the Third Reich and hopes for its reincarnation in America as an ideology and political force. The NSM had traditionally sported swastika iconography on Nazi-style uniforms, armbands and flags but last year decided to modify its garb and accessories, removing the swastika in a self-declared desire for a more mainstream appeal. The…... [read more]
Why is the US still fighting the civil war?
In St Paul’s memorial church in Charlottesville last Friday, just up the street from where white supremacists were gathering for a torchlight rally, Cornel West explained why African-Americans saw the removal of Confederate monuments as so important. On hearing that hundreds of white supremacists were gathered in a nearby park, the civil rights leader said, with a hint of weariness: “These are chickens coming home to roost. We should have eliminated these statues a long time ago.” “The idea that the American family has to embrace figures like [confederate general] Robert E Lee, or Stonewall Jackson, who were fundamentally committed to enslaving black people in perpetuity … These people are not heroes.” But figures such as Lee and Jackson are heroes to some. Their admirers include Donald Trump. In a rowdy press conference on Tuesday, he compared them to celebrated figures in American history such as presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Their admirers also include the white nationalist movement, which is currently surging in the US. The footsoldiers of that movement terrorised Charlottesville last weekend. Trump downplayed their violent excesses, saying they were merely “there to protest the taking down the statue of Robert E Lee.” Confederate statues removed across southern US states – in pictures Read more The day after the torchlight parade, a rally featuring hundreds of mostly young men in various states of paramilitary attire shut the city down. Hours later, one of their number allegedly murdered a counter-protester with his car. The next day, a…... [read more]
Codename: ′Fruit′ - Freital′s hobby terrorists News DW.COM
Nearly three years ago, a now 19-year-old man named "Romeo" fled to Germany from Ghana as an unaccompanied minor. Ines Kummer took him under her wing. Ever since then, he has been calling her "mommy." The 54-year-old member of Freital's city council, in the Eastern German state of Saxony, talks to Romeo on a regular basis. But now, the communication is limited to phone conversations as Romeo left Freital – involuntarily. Since autumn, he has been living five hundred kilometers away in the city of Rheine in the western German state of North Rhine–Westphalia. He was evacuated from his shelter as black Africans were often the target of attacks, says Ines Kummer. Neo-Nazis suddenly crashed a garden party at the shelter. The neo-Nazis took chalk and scrawled "everyone out" and "NS" [ed.: a German acronym for Nazis] on the street. It was then that Romeo knew that he had to leave Freital. Bus driver and terrorist Timo S. was apparently one of the perpetrators. He and seven other right-wing extremists are now on trial in the regional court in Dresden, where they face charges of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, carrying out bomb attacks and forming a terrorist organization. Timo S. is considered to be the group's leader. The 28-year-old bus driver has been living in Freital since 2014 and professes to be a right-wing extremist. In 2015, when the first refugees arrived and were put up in Hotel Leonardo in Freital, he led a self-described "civil defense" group. They…... [read more]
EU and NATO warn President Erdogan to avoid inflammatory rhetoric as Turkey-Netherlands row escalates
The EU and Nato have joined Angela Merkel in criticising Turkish President Erdogan for accusing politicians in The Netherlands of acting like the Nazis. After the Dutch government barred Turkish ministers from entering the country to campaign in the run-up to the constitutional referendum in April, Erdogan commented that "Nazism is still widespread in the West", compared The Netherlands a "banana republic", and called on international organisations to impose sanctions on the country. EU and Nato chiefs have called on the Turkish President to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and warned him to not escalate the row further. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the union's enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn warned Turkey to "refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation." "It is essential to avoid further escalation and find ways to calm down the situation," their statement added. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Turkey to "show mutual respect, to be calm and have a measured approach to contribute to de-escalate the tensions." Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the comparison between The Netherlands and Nazi Germany was "unspeakable" and called on Erdogan to apologise for his comments at a press conference on Monday afternoon (13 March). When asked whether he took such a hard line towards Turkey this weekend in an attempt to portray himself as a tough leader before the election on Wednesday (15 March), Rutte responded that his cabinet "did not ask for this situation." The Prime Minister faces fierce opposition from far-right leader…... [read more]
Who are the 10 most famous international white extremists?
New data has revealed that a record number of white suspects were arrested in the UK on suspicion of terrorism after a rise in far-right extremism. Official statistics from the Home Office published on Thursday (9 March) reveal that 91 out of a total 260 people held on suspicion of terrorism offences in 2016 were white. This is a rise of 20 from 71 in 2015 and the highest number since 2003 when 102 white suspects were arrested. And, despite most terror experts fearing an attack by the Middle East-based Isis terror group, white suspects made up around 35% of all terror-related arrests in 2016, compared with 25% in 2015. In contrast, there was a fall in arrests across other ethnic groups, including Asian people which, despite still the largest ethnic group arrested, fell 24 to 125 arrests in 2016. Earlier this week security services say they have prevented 13 potential terror attacks since June 2013 with around 500 live counter-terror investigations taking place at any one time. But with the backdrop of the increasingly multinational Isis attracting the disenfranchised from across the globe and a rise in neo-Nazi terrorism in the West, who are the most notorious white terrorists to have hit the headlines. Thomas Mair As the UK prepared for the divisive EU referendum this year MP's around the country were doing their best to seduce the British public into voting for either Remain or to Leave the bloc. But as MP for the West Yorkshire constituency of…... [read more]
Police admit blunder led them to link neo-Nazi killer to child murder
A memorial stone for Peggy Knobloch. Photo: DPA German police admitted Wednesday they had falsely linked two high-profile crimes - an unsolved child murder and a neo-Nazi cell's killing spree - because investigators accidentally contaminated DNA evidence. Police last October reported that genetic material found near the skeleton of nine-year-old schoolgirl Peggy Knobloch, who went missing in 2001, matched that of the late neo-Nazi gunman Uwe Boehnhardt. This seemed to connect the child's death to the 2000-2007 racist murder spree on the National Socialist Underground, far-right militants who shot dead nine men with migrant roots and a policewoman. But it has now been established that the DNA found near the girl's corpse was in fact inadvertently transferred there through "police equipment" from Boehnhardt's corpse, said prosecutor Daniel Goetz. Boehnhardt and his accomplice Uwe Mundlos had died five years ago in an apparent murder-suicide following a botched bank robbery. It remained unclear which piece of police equipment had been used in both cases, Goetz said, but media reports have pointed at a measuring stick police use on crime scenes. Something like that "should not have happened," admitted Uwe Ebner, who leads a special inquiry into the child murder. Knobloch vanished on her way home from school in 2001 near her home, in a high-profile case that captivated the nation. Hundreds of police and soldiers scoured the area for weeks, but her remains were only found in July last year, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from her home, by a mushroom picker.…... [read more]
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