Germans protesting against neo-Nazi group in Berlin
Photo: AP
Thousands protest neo-Nazi march
Extremist group set to march during dedication of Holocaust memorial; German president scheduled to speak before parliament in memory of victims
Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin Sunday to protest plans by several hundred neo-Nazis to march during the dedication of a monument in memory of the Holocaust victims.
The demonstrators held candles and flashlights and formed a 33-kilometer-long (about 21 miles) human chain.
The neo-Nazis, activists of the far right NPD party, plan to march through the Brandenburg Gate, which is located in close proximity to the monument.
The monument is set to be dedicated as part of the events marking 60 years since the Nazi’s surrender and the end of World War I.
German Interior Minister Otto Schily said, “It is a disgrace that a party such as NPD even exists.”
“I believe we need more civil courage from everyone against the extreme right,” he added.
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit declared a “Festival of Democracy” set to be held in the course of the next two days near the Brandenburg Gate.
“We want to confront these irreparable people, that even today deny what happened under the Nazi regime,” he said.
German President Horst Köhler is scheduled to speak before both houses of parliament Sunday in memory of the Holocaust victims.
