East Germans were taught in school that they. too. were victims of Nazism. and many were. but now that Germany is unified the world community finds it difficult to accept these acts of hooliganism against people who are ethnically different. The most disturbing response to this crisis is not what some bigoted people believe. but rather the anemic response by the German Government. Germany does have a liberal asylum law that may need some minor revisions. but this is not the root of the problem. Most politicians in Germany have been unwilling to unequivocally and forcefully condemn these attacks. There is an unemployment problem in the Eastern states. but blaming foreigners for the failures of communism and the cost of reunification is clearly wrong. It is scapegoating of the most ugly kind. and it is something that Germans should realize is unacceptable to the international community. Recent street demonstrations on August 22 in the eastern German city of Rostock is the most recent example of German hate crimes. Armed with knives. starter pistols. and gasoline bombs. a mob of "skinheads" spoke at meetings. flaming the hatred of angry youth and showed that the neoNazis organized campaign of terror against asylumseeking immigrants has been gaining strength. It started in Rostock but quickly spread to dozens of German towns and cities. Other recent events. such as the defacing of war memorials. is further evidence of a rise in neoNazi activities and hate crimes.
Keywords matched
immigrants asylum law