Though German neo-Nazis have long supported the Palestinians, whom they view as sharing their antisemitism, nationalism, and glorification of martyrdom and martyrs, this support has become more pronounced following the October 7 attack and Israel's subsequent military response. While the relationship between national socialism and Islamism has a long history, this report will review some of the most recent neo-Nazi expressions of support for the Palestinians.
This report will review the connection between the two ideologies and recent neo-Nazi expressions of support for the Palestinians.
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Neo-Nazi Support For Hamas After October 7: "The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend"
Many German neo-Nazis have voiced support for Hamas and the Palestinians following its October 7 attack. On its webpage, a German neo-Nazi party posted on October 11 a statement titled "War In The Middle East: Are Zionist Pogroms Imminent?" reflecting on the "large-scale counterattack by the Palestinian fighters against the Zionist state Israel," which was prompted by "the continuously deteriorating situation of the Palestinians [meanwhile] responses give rise to fears of the worst." While recalling the circumstances referred to "Israelis allegedly killed and kidnapped at random," briefly mentioning the attack by Hamas and its affiliates.
The party refers to Gaza as an "open-air prison," where "inhabitants are completely isolated, have no opportunities to build up their own economy, no opportunities for trade and no statehood of their own... [and suffer] continuous and arbitrary attacks by the Zionists on the Palestinian territories. In the past, every imperialist aggression by the Zionists was always dismissed with a feeble admonition" while the expanding of Israeli settlements forces "the indigenous Arab population to shrink" due to a lack of living space. The "Palestinian attack" is, hence, reasoned by the "Arabs' desperate lack of prospects." Under the heading "Israel Exacts Biblical Revenge," the group argues that by declaring war on Hamas in response to the attack, any Israeli action may be considered justified, which could lead to a genocide in Gaza and further attacks on Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran, eventually prompting a world war. The party, which is consistently anti-imperialist, declares "no solidarity with Israel," and says that the ruling coalition is driven by their "pathological guilt complexes" to support Israel. Accordingly, this grants a "license for Zionist acts of revenge."
It further says that, due to the current situation in Europe, including the Ukraine War and mass immigration into Germany, uncompromising solidarity with the Palestinians can only be granted when Arabs are no longer "occupying" Europe and foreign conflicts are no longer waged on German soil. The party says that the "Muscovite" invasion of Europe demands decisive support for Ukraine, "not assistance for the Zionist occupation regime in the Middle East."
The party published on its webpage its statement about the October 7 attack and the subsequent war on Hamas.
On its propaganda and merchandise store the party offers anti-Israel material inscribed with the messages: "No Solidarity With Israel" and "Terrorist State Israel."
Propaganda material inscribed with the slogan: "No Solidarity With Israel."
Propaganda material inscribed with the slogan: "Terror State Israel."
On Telegram the youth organization of a neo-Nazi party posted on October 8 a graphic that reads: "Israel Kills And The World Watches." The channel wrote: "When are sanctions against Israel coming? Western hypocrites speak of sovereignty – but only for select peoples. Hamas' new wave of attacks is preceded by oppression, occupation, and Israeli mass murder in violation of international law."
On Telegram, the neo-Nazi party posted on October 10 a party graphic with the inscription: "Stay out of foreign conflicts! Germany's security, not Israel's, is our raison d'être!"
On Telegram, the neo-Nazi party posted on October 13 a party graphic inscribed with the message: "Israel wants to flood tunnel in gaza and accepts dead civilians: where is the protest against Israel?" The accompanying caption notes: "Israel wants to flood tunnels in Gaza. Where is the German government's protest? No hypocrisy in international law!"
[1] Archivportal "Stellbogen, Wilhelm" - https://www.archivportal-d.de/item/WBS4YV3OIWFZZYQUL3FSXZPLYBVRSYRO
[2] Matthias Küntzel "Von Zeesen bis Beirut – Nationalsozialismus und Antisemitismus in der arabischen Welt"
https://www.infoladen.de/koeln/casablanca/mk/matthias_kuentzel_-_zeesen.pdf
[3] Brynjar, Lia, "The Society of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt 1928-1942: The Rise of The Islamic Mass Movement " https://www.academia.edu/12917560/The_Society_of_the_Muslim_Brothers_in_Egypt_1928_42_The_Rise_of_an_Islamic_Mass_Movement_Ithaca_Press_1998_2006_
[4] "The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism" – Andrew G.
Bostom https://www.scribd.com/document/173056852/The-Legacy-of-Islamic-Antisemitism-Abstract
[5] Hamas Charter 1988 "The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement" https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
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