As the start of Beate Zschäpe's trial made her the globally famous face of Germany's neo-Nazis, Der Tagesspiegel's Andrea Dernbach says the problem is so much bigger than one person, and even ten murders.After a series of racially motivated crimes unique in Germany's post-war history, the justice system showed - by its assignment of the places to witness the trial, and the fact that there were far too few of those places - how much public interest is seen as appropriate.
- Neo-Nazi trial starts amid tight security - National (6 May 13)
- Fascists claim 'We are the people' slogan - Politics (3 May 13)
- Germany apologizes for neo-Nazi murder debacle - National (25 Apr 13)
No matter which valid, internal reasons there may have been, the refusal to hold the trial in a larger place even if one not situated in a justice building, sends a message: don't make such a fuss, this is business as normal. We're doing what we always do.
But it is so obvious that this is not a normal trial that one must ask oneself why so much effort was made ahead of time, to demonstrate the opposite. Possibly because those who make decisions in Munich simply don't think any differently than those people in whose names they will deliver a verdict? The victims of the murder series were, apart from police officer Michéle Kiesewetter, migrants.
People like them now make up a fifth of the German population, but in public discussions they practically only ever appear as problem groups. When a Ghanaian engineer or a Turkish tailor with a decent income and well brought-up children is mentioned, they have the label "exception" either explicitly or implicitly attached.
more to read 'Racism is in german society's wallpaper' - The Local
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