In the introduction to this pamphlet, we wrote that our aim has not
been to fan any anti-German flames, but to warn people internationally
about the dangerous character of revived German nationalism.
In so doing, we have sought to represent the views, and very real
fears, of those in Germany who devote all their energies to combating the
evils of anti-semitism, racism, nationalism and other hate predjudices.
These German activists have swum against the tide since 1990 and
represent a minority in Germany today. Their sterling work of bringing
to light both the heightened activity of the fascists and the growing
militarism, which find their seed bed in the highly charged atmosphere
whipped up by the mainstream Right, has been
very important in keeping
Searchlight supplied with a constant
flow of information
about the international links of German
right-wing extremists and the
mounting gravity of nationalism in their country.
For these friends of Searchlight, the situation grows more
difficult by the day. Already they have been the subject of moves to
criminalise their democratic activity and,
for this reason, appreciate the
value of anti-fascist solidarity which extends across frontiers and which
is both freely given and received.
They have stood out openly against the nazi terror that has been a
consistent feature of the period since the fall of the Berlin Wall and
reunification. They have built anti-fascist and anti-nationalist groups in
small towns where previously none existed and they have exposed the almost
gravitational shift to the Right in German politics and the way in which
that now leads to Germany's aggressive stance internationally.
They realise all too well the direction in which things are moving and
for them the traditional German anti-fascist slogans Never again
fascism! Never again war! really mean what they say. Without
these friends. Searchlight's work in Europe would have been much
harder in the period since reunification.
For this reason, we pay tribute to them: To our colleagues on the anti-fascist magazines Antifa-Info Blatt,
Atze, Der Rechte Rand and NRW Zeitung for their monitoring
work, to Michael Schmidt for his anti-nazi film and book, which have
reached literally millions of people across Europe, and to our friends of
the Anachronistic Procession, the anti-nationalist project which brings
Bertolt Brecht's famous poem, showing the dangers and end results of
German nationalism, to life in a highly educative way.
These anti-fascists and anti-nationalists are a guarantee of resistance
to the tendency of history to repeat itself, because they know that if it
does so, it will not be as farce but as a catastrophe for humanity.
We hope that all who read this pamphlet will take its contents
seriously and will respond by engaging actively in antifascist work in
their own country and by delivering solidarity to those on the sharp end
in Germany.
Nobody who values democracy, peace and human decency should ignore the
danger signs so shockingly highlighted in this pamphlet. What is happening
in Germany is not simply a "German problem" but concerns us all. To oppose
the trends described above, information is vital and this pamphlet has
hopefully begun the job by publishing some of the material to which
Searchlight has access.
In preparing this pamphlet, members of the Searchlight team have been
provided with translation help, research assistance and kindness and
hospitality by many individuals. We wish to express our sincerest thanks
to all of them. Those who have helped know who they are. For security
reasons, we withold their names.
Searchlight Magazine, January 1995.
