Germany: 39 arrested at Berlin neo-Nazi rally August 19 /update 1

Event

German police arrested 39 people at a neo-Nazi rally and associated counter protests on Saturday, August 19. More than 500 neo-Nazis attempted to march to the site of the former prison in Spandau where high ranking Nazi official, Rudolf Hess, died on August 17, 1987. Several far-right protesters have been accused of displaying forbidden symbols, such as swastikas, and 12 out of the 35 neo-Nazis arrested are still under investigation. The four counter-protesters were held on public disturbance charges. 

Marches against neo-Nazi ideology and associated counter-protests are possible in the coming months.

Context

German law allows the authorities to place strict stipulations on national socialist events that aim to incite hatred. It is illegal to use Nazi symbols and language, such as the swastika and SS insignia, at far-right rallies.

Hess was a deputy of Adolf Hitler and received a life sentence during the Nuremberg trials. He died on August 17, 1987, after apparently hanging himself with an electrical cord in the Spandau prison. However, Nazi sympathizers claim that he was killed by British spies. Following his death, the prison was demolished in order to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.

Advice

Individuals in Berlin are advised to all protests, anticipate an increased security presence, and remain vigilant due to the possibility of violence.