# Going to Germany this summer. How much Neo-Naziism will we encounter? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146 "2014-06-19T15:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/41 "2014-06-20T10:03:12Z")
As someone who lives a mere train ride away from that Skokie demonstrtion, I would posit that you are just as likely to run into them in your own neighborhood. And I have concern over the possibility exactly zero times ever. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/42 "2014-06-20T12:52:47Z")
I’m gonna be wildly different from everyone in this thread: I was in Germany a month and I saw ONE neo-Nazi. Although I think the bigger question is, if you DID see one (or a group) why would they have any reason to target you? Why wouldn’t you have the same experience as a poster above, or myself, “oh I think that’s a neo nazi (walks to other side of the street/into a shop/ignores them) there we go” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/43 "2014-06-20T13:32:05Z")
Was there four years ago for two weeks and saw none. We also saw almost no German flags - our German tour guides explained to us that Germans - particularly the older generation, are rather suspect of nationalism and jingoistic patriotism. Its changing a little with younger Germans, but you have FAR more chance in the U.S. to run into - say the confederate flag and jingoistic patriotism - than you do in Germany. Have a nice trip. Its really a wonderful country. ---
**Author:** ![Oliveritaly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oliveritaly/32/15233_2.png) [@Oliveritaly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oliveritaly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/44 "2014-06-20T13:47:00Z")
Oh the flags are out in force right now Dangerosa, as they are every time there’s a world cup 😉 Lots of cars are sporting their national flags right now 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/45 "2014-06-20T13:58:37Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > We also saw almost no German flags - our German tour guides explained to us that Germans - particularly the older generation, are rather suspect of nationalism and jingoistic patriotism. [Evil Flag](http://satwcomic.com/evil-flag) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/46 "2014-06-20T14:13:54Z")
As the OP acknowledges that the incidence of neo Nazism is rare, if you were to see someone sporting a swastika on the street in Munich, or Cologne, what do you fear? A physical confrontation? As an American, the chances of being confronted by people that have viewpoints and opinions much more radical and different than your own is commonplace. Do you think Germans with differing view are more scary than Americans with differing views? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/47 "2014-06-20T14:45:10Z")
> [@Oliveritaly](#): > > Oh the flags are out in force right now Dangerosa, as they are every time there’s a world cup 😉 > > Lots of cars are sporting their national flags right now 😉 They did say the exception is during the world cup - but then they mostly go away. Especially compared to the U.S. Where almost every business flies a U.S. Flag, every government building, and many many private homes year round. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/48 "2014-06-20T15:09:00Z")
My brother lived in Manheim for 3 years. Not only did he see no evidence of neo or regular Nazis, but he was tut-tuted for a very mild joke that made some reference to Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Oliveritaly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oliveritaly/32/15233_2.png) [@Oliveritaly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oliveritaly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/49 "2014-06-20T15:19:29Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > They did say the exception is during the world cup - but then they mostly go away. > > Especially compared to the U.S. Where almost every business flies a U.S. Flag, every government building, and many many private homes year round. Yeah, this is exactly correct in my experience. My previous landlord had a wooden shed behind my house that he stored his garden equipment (small farm stuff). His grandson, a teenager, liked to drink beer in the shed with his buddies when they visited. During one of those visits the grandson wrote something to the effect of “only Germans are welcome” on the shed’s door. The grandfather told me he was very embarrassed by it and was scrubbing from the shed’s door as soon as the kid left. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/50 "2014-06-20T15:27:44Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > As a Jew, I find the OP’s anti German prejudice shocking and disgusting. > I’m worried about rising antisemitism in a few places. Germany is not one of them. Couldn’t agree more. All countries have assholes. Germany has worked very, very hard to minimize the political power of its asshole population, and to eliminate asshole-related violence. Have they been perfectly successful? No. But as a Jew-ish (atheist) guy, I’d feel safer in Berlin or Munich than just about anywhere else on the planet. And, in fact, both cities are on my list of places to visit in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/51 "2014-06-20T17:30:18Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > They look like lazy pseudo-Nazis from some dystopian film, complete with [pseudo-swastika flags](http://vicneverman.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/golden-dawn-nazis-2.jpg). That’s all a misunderstanding. They’re actually big fans of [Snake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_(video_game)) ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/52 "2014-06-20T18:49:47Z")
I’ve heard quite a few claims that the NPD largely consists of police informants these days. Either way, they pose less of a threat to the established order than the CPUSA did in the 1950s. Why not be worried about Britain where the BNP is a good deal more popular than the NPD is in Germany? What about France where the National Front won first place in the European Parliament elections? What about as mentioned earlier Hungary or for that matter Greece where the most blatant of neo-Nazi parties won third place? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/53 "2014-06-20T21:05:18Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > I lived in Germany for five years and saw precisely 0 incidents of neo-Nazism. > > Imagine a German coming to America and asking how many KKK members they will encounter. Your odds of running into them are about the same. You never know where you will encounter them. I was travelling in Italy and encountered a giant [KK rally in the street](http://pinkagendist.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/naz1.jpg). Turns out there are a bunch of religious fraternities that just happen to dress like Klansmen. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/54 "2014-06-20T21:28:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Why not be worried about Britain where the BNP is a good deal more popular than the NPD is in Germany? The BNP are reduced to a handful of local council types ie the local government level that debates planning issues for a new car park etc. I know you are a massive political wonk **Qin** , have a look at UKIP to see where the rightward strain of English politics is these days. They have worryingly got a lot more purchase than the BNP ever did, or the National Front before them. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/55 "2014-06-20T21:33:45Z")
You are much more likely to be killed by a meteor… perhaps you should wear a helmet. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/56 "2014-06-22T00:25:04Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Dear Germany, > > I apologize on behalf of the SDMB for Toonsie’s staggering ignorance on this subject. > > Love ya! > > Beanie I’ll be sure to pass it along when Germany wakes up tomorrow morning. OP, I’m an American who has lived in Germany for lo these past 18 years. In that time, I have encountered precisely zero (0) neo-Nazis and have been made anxious for my safety precisely zero (0) times. Now, the grammar of the language, particularly that of changing adjective endings according to case and gender, is a different story altogether and definitely rates international sanctions and a strongly-worded letter from the UN. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/57 "2014-06-22T00:50:33Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I agree with you in finding the rise of extreme right-wing politics in recent years quite worrisome, but just to be factually accurate, the NPD didn’t come fourth, as the article claims, but eleventh. > > As for in-your-face displays of Nazi paraphernalia, I’ve personally never seen it, and I’d suspect the only place you’d find it would be NPD demonstrations, and I’m not sure even there. The photo you posted appears to be from a [demonstration in Skokie](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/neo-nazi-protestors-organized-by-the-national-socialist-news-photo/86037076), Illinois, by the way (it would be strange for a German Neo-Nazi to wear English insignia; plus those traffic lights don’t look like any I’ve ever seen over here). Geez, I know Skokie had an infamous Neo-Nazi demonstration in the 1970s - in fact, it made Neo-Nazism in the US a topic for discussion (and even led to the “Blues Brothers” parody). Do protests regularly happen there now? I think overt far-right activity is far more prevalent in Greece, eastern Europe, and by extension, the more depressed areas in eastern Germany, where there is high unemployment. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/58 "2014-06-22T01:06:14Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I’ll prefer to keep my extreme caution of modern-day Germany firmly intact. It can’t be that extreme if you’re going there. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/59 "2014-06-22T01:58:19Z")
The first time I visited Wash DC, there was a huge Neo-Nazi demonstration. If you want to see Neo-Nazis, you’ll have to go somewhere other than Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146/60 "2014-06-22T04:55:25Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The BNP are reduced to a handful of local council types ie the local government level that debates planning issues for a new car park etc. I know you are a massive political wonk **Qin** , have a look at UKIP to see where the rightward strain of English politics is these days. They have worryingly got a lot more purchase than the BNP ever did, or the National Front before them. I was mostly comparing the BNP to the NPD, and I’d say the former is still rather stronger than the latter. I’m certainly not a fan of the UKIP either (which strikes as a British Tea Party basically) although I don’t hate them as much since they aren’t really Nazis at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-germany-this-summer-how-much-neo-naziism-will-we-encounter/691146.md?page=4)