Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

NEO-NAZI

Prosecutors probe claims of Nazi salutes and pigs’ heads at party for army special unit

Prosecutors in Tübingen have launched a probe into explosive claims of far-right extremism in a German army special forces unit.

Published: 17 August 2017 17:58 CEST
Prosecutors probe claims of Nazi salutes and pigs' heads at party for army special unit
File image of soldiers from the elite Special Operations Unit. Photo: DPA

The investigation comes after a woman acquainted with one of the soldiers claimed some troops in the elite Special Operations Command (Kommando Spezialkräfte) had exchanged Nazi salutes and listened to music popular among neo-Nazis at a party near Stuttgart.  

The activities allegedly took place at a going-away party for a company commander, where soldiers also engaged in a bizarre game of Middle-Ages-themed parkour that involved slicing melons with swords and hurling pigs’ heads.

The witness also had WhatsApp messages indicating that the soldiers had planned to offer consensual sex with her as the main prize for the commander on completion of the athletics events, according to information provided by the woman to broadcasters Radio Bremen and NDR. 

Prosecutor Michael Pfohl confirmed on Thursday that an investigation was underway. 

The German Army said it was also launching an internal probe. The army said it had been able to confirm that pigs heads were thrown at the party but had not yet got to the bottom of the claims of right-wing extremism. 

The Special Operations Command is an elite German army unit. It was set up in 1996 with the primary goal of freeing and evacuating German hostages from war zones.

READ ALSO: 'Respect our grandfathers': far-right plot renews debate about army's Nazi links

 

BUNDESWEHR

German army suspends soldiers over far-right suspicions

The German army has suspended soldiers in its ceremonial guard over suspicion of sexual aggression and sympathy with the far-right, a recurring problem within the Bundeswehr.

Published: 8 October 2021 15:32 CEST
Members of the German Armed Forces at a ceremony in Brandenburg.
Members of the German Armed Forces at a ceremony in Brandenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

The company, part of a prestigious battalion tasked with welcoming foreign heads of state, was “withdrawn” from active service in relation to incidents which occurred “in a far right context”, a spokesman for the German defence ministry said Friday.

The group is said to have participated in “perverse initiation and drinking rituals” and submitted new recruits to “sexualised violence”, according to the spokesman.

A witness told the German weekly Der Spiegel, which uncovered the affair, that within the battalion’s second company, at least six soldiers had formed a far-right group, calling themselves the “wolf pack”.

The head of the group is said to have aimed racial insults at other soldiers from minority backgrounds. A soldier at a rank equivalent to corporal is said to have worn a t-shirt with the slogan “Sonnenstudio 88”, a number which represents “Heil Hitler” in the neo-Nazi movement.

The alleged incidents “bring shame on us all”, the defence ministry spokesman said.

The German army, the Bundeswehr, will “pursue all legal means” to “remove” the culprits identified by other soldiers.

The German government has been worried for years about some soldiers, including those in the special forces, adhering to far-right groups.

The elite KSK commando force was partially dissolved in 2020 after munitions were stolen and members were seen performing a Hitler salute at a party.

In June, a platoon stationed in Lithuania was recalled after accusations of racist and anti-Semitic behaviour.

READ ALSO: Germany shakes up elite army force right links

SHOW COMMENTS