Nazi event in Germanyh
A video clip of an event held by Nazi sympathizers appeared on social media in Germany, causing outrage, but it may explain the support for the far-right AfD Party seen in polling.
After rising in popularity, the party dropped from 21% to 17% support, but that was still higher than the number of its voters in the eastern parts of Germany.
The footage shows a party where participants called for foreigners to be expelled, chanted "Germany belongs to Germans," and sang Italian hit song "L'amour toujours," a favorite of the neo-Nazi movements, as one of the party goers raised his hand in the Nazi salute placing his figure on his upper lip to mimic Hitler.
Tickets to the lavish event, held in the upscale Pony Club, Kampen in the North Sea island of Sylt, cost between 300 euros and 500 euros.
After the clip appeared, two of the participants in the event were fired from their jobs. The club owners, who claimed they were not able to observe what was happening in their establishment, said they were taking legal action against the participants. They voiced their disdain for others present at the time who did nothing to stop the Nazi sympathizers.
"We've never seen anything like this here," Time Beker, the owner and manager told the German news agency dpa. "The five people involved will never enter this place again and have nothing to look for in Sylt. We have enough friends among the restauranteurs here," he said.
He added that the Italian song would never again be played there, after it was heard in similar events, with racist language substituted for some of its lyrics.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the party "unacceptable" and "disgusting." Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said those chanting those slogans were humiliating themselves and Germany.
Elections to the European Parliament will be held next month and there is concern over the rise of right-wing parties despite a move to the right in parties in the center, over the issue of immigration. In September, three former East German counties will hold local elections and the far-right is expected to receive 30% of the vote.