They were disturbing scenes: every year on the eve of Remembrance Day, right-wing extremist groups marched through Wunsiedel. But this year they will probably stay away from the city in the Fichtelgebirge on Saturday. A city spokeswoman said no event had been registered as of Wednesday morning. The Interior Ministry also said: There was no information from the security authorities about a mobilization of the scene for the weekend in Wunsiedel. Remembrance Day is celebrated in Germany on Sunday (November 19th).
The picture in Wunsiedel also included numerous people who resisted the brown march. And even if there won’t be a march, the “Wunsiedel is colorful” network is still planning a number of events for this Saturday. After all, it’s not just about the specific marches, said network spokeswoman Svenja Faßbinder. They want to set an example for tolerance and diversity and against discrimination. After all, the current shift to the right cannot be overlooked.
Of course, demonstrations could also come at short notice, said Faßbinder. You won’t be able to breathe a sigh of relief until Saturday when no one from the scene can actually be seen. She also attributes the fact that the march will probably be canceled this year to the network’s commitment. “We don’t look away, we take to the streets.” The stress on the residents along the route of the march was high and it was frightening, she said.
But it is also clear that there are internal problems with the “Third Way”. The right-wing extremist small party had registered the demo in Wunsiedel in recent years. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution has identified a declining mobilization potential of the “Third Way” in recent years. Last year only around 120 right-wing extremists gathered in Wunsiedel.
But why is that? Thomas Witzgall from the “Endstation Rechts” portal spoke of a trend in which marches with historical references are becoming rarer in the right-wing extremist scene. The “Third Way” has already canceled “standard dates” in the recent past, such as a vigil for a Holocaust denier in Munich. The marches developed in Wunsiedel because Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Heß was buried there. Although the grave was abandoned in 2011, the scene’s events shortly before Remembrance Day remained.
The marches always served to attract young talent, said Witzgall. Here you can see that the party is increasingly focusing on sporting events, for example. This development is not a reason to breathe a sigh of relief. “The ideas are still there,” said Witzgall. It is also unclear whether Wunsiedel will remain permanently free of marches.