Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the "Nakba,"[1] a German neo-Nazi party published a statement on its webpage titled: "Nakba 75: The struggle for independence continues," professing its strong support for the Palestinian people and their understood struggle to retrieve the perceived "Palestinian homeland." The article cites Ghassan Kanafani, a leading member of the "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine" (PFLP), whom the Mossad assassinated in 1972: "The Palestinian cause is not a cause for the Palestinians alone, but a cause for every revolutionary..."
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Due to the echoing public outcry in response to the antisemitic rhetoric at demonstrations throughout Germany largely organized by the German branch of the "Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network," a direct affiliate of the PFLP, pro-Palestinian rallies have recently been subject to a loosely implemented ban handled by each federal state separately. While the PFLP is designated as a terrorist organization in Israel and the United States, Germany has yet to assume such a policy where PFLP representation in the form of Samidoun can operate near to uninhibitedly.
These protest bans, enacted due to "feared anti-Zionist statements and gestures" once again suggest, according to the party, "that in Germany it is apparently compatible with the [constitutional] right of assembly to prevent peaceful demonstrations on the grounds of hypotheses, fears, and insinuations." Despite strictly opposing rallies on German soil aimed at "representing interests of foreign nations," the group expresses its solidarity with the Palestinian Arabs "in their efforts to stop the ongoing land theft and murder by the Zionist entity." Moreover, the resolute profession and pride of their proclaimed Palestinian identity portrays a collective characteristic that many self-described "German patriots" admire, as "it would never occur to a Palestinian to hide the flag of his homeland or even to be ashamed of it, as seen to be the case in the FRG [Federal Republic of Germany]."
The article draws a comparison to Neo-Nazi opposition to mass immigration into Europe and how "the Palestinian people are also fighting against the unhindered immigration of foreigners who believe they have a right to the land." Unlike the German leftists, as claimed by the party, "the revolutionaries do not hesitate and see clearly where injustice is occurring."
Since the beginning of its formation, the party has established and maintained international alliances. The party has supported the Palestinian resistance particularly by cultivating, not lastly, alliances with Assad-regime affiliates during delegation visits to Lebanon and Syria.
Delegation Travel To Syria Organized By The ESFS
Alongside long-standing relations with European entities, the party has established links to groups in Lebanon and Syria.
In 2016 representatives of the party travelled to Syria as part of a delegation of the "European Solidarity Front for Syria" (ESFS), a pan-European organization with close ties to the Italian neo-fascist "Casa Pound Movement," with significant work done by ESFS member Stefan Schaefer, while in 2017 they traveled to Lebanon.
According to a June 6, 2016 report on the party's website, titled: "A Visit To Syria: The Motives," Schaefer attended an ESFS lecture in Munich that served as an incentive for a visit to Syria to acquire "a first-hand overview" of the situation there. In his report after the trip, Schaefer said that the one-week trip took them through Turkey and Lebanon before they crossed into Syria to reach Damascus.
In Damascus, the delegation met the late former Syrian Minister of Information Omram Ahed al-Zoubi. Schaefer wrote on June 8, 2016, in his travel journal that "we are beacons of hope since we report independently about things that Europe's system media surreptitiously hides." Unlike members of the mainstream media, whom the Syrian government often considers to be biased, European nationalists, particularly those associated with ESFS, have been welcome guests in Syria. The travel report entails a screenshot of an article published on June 8, 2016, by the "Syrian Arab News Agency" (SANA) reporting on the delegations' meeting with Al-Zoubi, which depicts an image featuring the meeting. The state-funded "Syria TV" channel has also reported on the meeting in its news coverage.
The "Syrian Arab News Agency" (SANA) reports on the delegations' meeting with Omran Ahed Al-Zoubi.
The state-funded broadcaster "Syria TV" reports on the delegations’ meeting with Omram Ahed Al-Zoubi.
The delegation, moreover, met in Damascus with Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, who has long-standing relations with the Assad family and was advisor to the late Hafiz Al-Assad before being political and media adviser to Bashar Al-Assad.
Schaefer cited Shaaban, who considered "Arab Spring" to be an "Arab Hell." Shaaban said that the emigration of Syrians into Europe was a "fashion to leave Syria" and become "US-maneuvered economic slaves" in Europe, which no longer comprises "free states with a true leadership, but consists merely of marionettes of the US."
The delegation visited the Ministry of Religion and met with then acting grand mufti Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, who had delivered a public address at the beginning of the civil war aired on "Syria News TV." In his address Al-Din Hassoun threatened "to activate suicide bombers in Europe and on Palestinian soil. I say to all of Europe and to the US. We will prepare... who are already among you, if you bomb Syria or Lebanon. From now on, it will be 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and he who dealt the first blow is more unjust' and you are the ones who have done us an injustice."[2]
MEMRI-TV translated in October 2011 the video featuring the public address by the Grand Mufti of Syria Al-Din Hassoun that had been released on the Internet.
Party Members Travel To Lebanon To Build Relations With "Syrian Social Nationalist Party" And Support The Palestinian Resistance
At the end of February 2017, activists visited Lebanon to further develop relations with affiliates of the Assad regime. The trip was to include stops in Damascus, Latakia, and Aleppo, Syria, to inspect the achievements implemented with the proceeds of the party's donation campaigns, but they were unable to get visas to enter Syria. Party members visited the Mleeta landmark, known as the "Hizbullah Resistance Museum" located in southern Lebanon.
A report published on March 29, 2017, on the party's webpage, referred to the landmark visit as the "grand highlight of the trip." In a March 31, 2017 report, the display at Mleeta was referred to as a depiction of "heroic resistance" of the combat-ready "Lebanese militia" against the "technologically superior Jewish army that has occupied Lebanon," while expressing gratitude and admiration for the terrorist organization, describing Hassan Nasrallah as "charismatic." The article notes Hizbullah's reputation as an "undisputable protective power against the Israeli aggressor. Everywhere yellow flags are displayed on the streets... are proudly hoisted... posters are seen... portraits of resolute men – all martyrs fallen in the fight."
Large Hizbullah flags can be seen hoisted on the side of the road.
On multiple occasions, the party has dismissed Hizbollah's having been declared by many governments to be a terrorist organization, while continuously referring to Israel as a "terror state."
The trip to Lebanon was concluded with a meeting with Hassan Sakr, the foreign commissioner of the "Syrian Social Nationalist Party" (SSNP), who was interviewed by a party activist.
[1] Following the 1948 Palestine War, 78 percent of Mandatory Palestine was declared to be Israel, leading to the expulsion and flight of 700,000 Palestinians. On May 15 each year, many Palestinians commemorate this event as the "Nakba [Catastrophe]."
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 4194, Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun Threatens to Activate Suicide Bombers in Europe and the U.S., October 10, 2011.
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