Saxony State Police in Germany have developed a smartphone application that can identify neo-Nazi lyrics and racist words in rock songs. Der Spiegel reported Tuesday that German interior ministers will meet this week to discuss whether to implement this new method of policing.
The government said that neo-Nazi musichelps radical organizations recruit youth, and it is used as a type of gateway drug to bring in new conscripts. The application, nicknamed "Nazi Shazam," can identify names of songs just by playing a small sample of a song. The application would allow the police to react instantly if far-right songs are played on radio stations, at concerts, in club nights or at demonstrations.
Related stories:
US Holocaust survivor meets Polish savior
Nazi murderer Heinrich Boere dies at 92
Israel asks Germany to return art to Jewish hands
The Guardian reported that there are 1,090 songs that contain neo-Nazi and racist parts, which are known to the police. The BBC said that it wasn't sure if the application could be implemented nationwide in Germany, however. The problem is, the network said, if lawyers deem the automatic identification of music being played in a public places to be considered audio surveillance, then it is unlikely to be allowed under German law.
An NDP demonstration in Germany (Photo: Reuters)
- As well, after a decade of attempts to eradicate the far-right National Democratic Party, the interior ministers of the 16 German states discussed the details of the renewed motion to remove the party, which will be filed in the coming days to the federal constitutional court.
The motion will contain a demand to declare the party as unconstitutional because it promotes "xenophobic, inhuman, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic ideology."