Emergent Neo-Nazi Youth Constructing Lasting Perilous Presence
In the trendy Berlin district of Hohenschoenhausen, an evening event hosted by the "Open Antifa Meeting Hohenschoenhausen" was interrupted by suspected young neo-Nazis. The event organizers voiced their concerns in a statement they released themselves, stating this event falls within the escalating tensions in the Lichtenberg district. They criticized the hasty attempts by the police to inspect the premises, which had become the target of the disruption.
Last Friday, an alternative cultural center near the Wartenberg S-Bahn station hosted an open Antifa meeting, intending to inform attendees about an upcoming demonstration in Jena for imprisoned leftists and to sell bus tickets for the journey. However, the peaceful gathering turned chaotic - not for the first time.
"The attendance was great," two witnesses recalled. But while a lecture was taking place inside, six hooded individuals approached the venue from outside. "Instead of listening to the lecture, we had to protect the place," the two witnesses said. "They came in fully armed. I thought, something was about to go down."
But the police arrived promptly with sirens, causing the group to flee, according to the witnesses. "There was no confrontation, they left before the police reached us. I can't help but wonder what else might've happened if the police hadn't shown up."
For approximately an hour and a half, the police attempted to secure a search warrant, yet failed to do so. They suspected "attempted severe disturbance of the peace" as the perpetrators' motive. "There were more right-wing youth in the neighborhood throughout the evening."
The police were unable to provide additional details about the operation on Sunday. A spokesperson attributed the lack of communication to the understaffed press office. The statements of Lichtenberg's leftist politician and lawyer Antonio Leonhardt mostly mirror those of the activists whom we spoke with.
"We're mostly confronted by young, loosely organized street gangs who exhibit neo-Nazi tendencies," Leonhardt stated. He initially received word of a potential neo-Nazi threat to the alternative cultural center "wb13." Later, he was notified that the police wished to inspect the venue. He then rushed to the scene to ascertain the situation with the location's responsible personnel and prevent an inspection, Leonhardt continued.
"It turned out the police aimed to search the premises or obtain a search warrant based on a non-criminal offense," Leonhardt explained, "namely 'attempted severe disturbance of the peace'. Meanwhile, the officers on duty suggested a 'voluntary room inspection', which is a search with the consent of the organizers." Leonhardt and the organizers declined this offer. "After the seven or eight officers from the local police station failed to secure a search warrant, the operation concluded," Leonhardt concluded.
Leonhardt considers the police operation questionable: "Instead of safeguarding the premises, which are frequently targeted by right-wing disturbances, they aimed to inspect them. Thankfully, the police officers could not convince the public prosecutor's office and the court of their proposed actions."
The two organizers claim that some of the individuals involved were familiar ones. "They often attend our meetings and stir trouble." On that Friday, two people were already present before the event started. "After we expelled them from the premises, they apparently returned this time in a group of six," say the two witnesses from the Antifa meeting.
The neo-Nazis are "well-known in the neighborhood," according to the organizers. They explained: "These aren't organized groups; they're known troublemakers in the neighborhood, typically between 13 and 18 years old. Some of them have been noticed attacking a local student known for his left-wing views at the Green Campus in Malchow."
The situation in Hohenschoenhausen appears different from the well-orchestrated activities of the far-right micro-party "Third Way" or their youth organization Nationalrevolutionaere Jugend, who mainly make their presence felt in Pankow and Marzahn-Hellersdorf. They don't quite fit the mold of visible groups like Deutsche Jugend voran and Jung & Stark. While there may be overlaps, the two from the Antifa meeting say: "We're more often faced by young, loosely organized street gangs showing up unannounced in the neighborhood."
"In past decades, clashes with overtly right-wing individuals were rare. But now, youth seem intent on altering the neighborhood's image," the two activists concluded. The issue of young far-right individuals gaining traction in the area is known to many party politicians and organizations. They, along with attendees of the monthly anti-fascist meeting, are working to counteract this. "We don’t feel abandoned, and we don’t feel like anyone is trying to minimize the problem," say the two.
The events in Hohenschoenhausen, a trendy Berlin district, have escalated the general-news landscape, as incidents of potential neo-Nazi disruptions to meetings are becoming more frequent. In the wake of the interruption of the "Open Antifa Meeting Hohenschoenhausen," which discussed a leftist demonstration in Jena, the Lichtenberg district's politics have been dominated by discussions on crime-and-justice matters, with the focus on young, loosely organized street gangs exhibiting neo-Nazi tendencies.
