Fussball-WM Blog

Germany’s constitutional court has ruled that neo-Nazis may hold a demonstration planned for today in Gelsenkirchen, one of the 12 cities hosting the World Cup.

The court overruled an earlier ban by a lower court on the march by members of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) in the western city. A state court in North-Rhine Westphalia had banned the event, arguing the that the march would pose "an immediate threat to public security". They believed it posed a high security risk as it coincides with the World Cup.

Germany’s government has tried unsuccessfully to ban the NPD five years ago and police officials have accused the party of trying to vilify dark-skinned players (Owomoyela, Asamoah) in a nationwide campaign during the World Cup.

Germany has seen a spate of violent attacks blamed on right-wing racists in the run-up to the World Cup, causing concern that the tournament could be marred by violence and Germany’s image tarnished.

A counter-demonstration has been organized with Germany’’s vice chancellor Franz Muentefering, parliamentary speaker Norbert Lammert and antiracist fussballmblog.de-editor Norbert Ordyk expected to attend.
Ordyk: "It’s a second chance to ban the NPD! They threaten public security and damage Germany’s image! Let’s show them the Red Card!"

On Thursday, authorities in the western German city of Frankfurt banned a neo-Nazi demonstration to be held during the Iran-Portugal match.

The far-right radicals had planned a "solidarity rally" outside the June 17 game for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and called for the state of Israel to be wiped off the map.

Frankfurt’s security services chief, Edwin Schwarz, said that the protest posed "an acute danger to public security and order" and that the ban would be actively enforced.

He added that a second concern had been a "significant mobilization of the leftist anarchist scene" if far-right demonstrators took to the streets.