It appears that Germany is still struggling against remnants of Nazi extremism. According to The Global Post, the National Democratic Party allegedly has neo-Nazi links.
Recently, it has come into the public light that a neo-Nazi cell is allegedly responsible for the murders of nine immigrants, robbed banks, a 2004 bombing in Cologne, and the murder of a policewoman.
According to the Irish Times, 16 federal states in the upper chamber filed to ban the party at the end of 2013.
Interestingly, the Irish Times points out that the very reason that Germany is hesitant to ban a party is because of Nazi era banning of political opponents.
The Irish Times essentially just reports the facts and offers a possible explanation as to why it has failed to pass but why it should be passed.
The Global Post, agrees with the Irish Times. They say, “However, constitutional protections for free speech have made it difficult to ban the NPD just because its ideology bears some similarity to Adolph Hitler’s. To do that, the plaintiffs must show the party is actually working to overthrow the state through violence.”
Both news outlets complement each other. They highlight the problems that Germany faces in banning this extremist party, as well as outline the alleged crimes. It seems that Germany is still fighting Hitler’s Ghost. They can not ban a party for fear of turning into Hitler like regime themselves, and they have to live in fear of extremists.
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