Germany’s far right: Raus

Date: 15/11/03

The Christian Democrats eject a right-wing extremist

FINALLY. On November 10th the Christian Democrats moved to expel Martin Hohmann, a far-right backbencher, from the party. Almost two weeks had elapsed since it emerged that he made a speech in early October arguing that Germans should no longer be treated as a “guilty people” because, by the same logic, Jews should fall into this category as they played a prominent role in Bolshevik atrocities.

It is the delay in ousting the source of such anti-Semitic views that has raised most concern. But coming at the same time as a Eurobarometer poll showing that 59% of Europeans see Israel as a threat to world peace, the affair has led to some broader soul-searching.

Although most of the German elite was unanimous in condemning Mr Hohmann, he received some support, notably in a letter from Reinhard Gunzel, commander of Germany's special forces, who was later sacked. Even more worrying, the speech, delivered to some 120 people in Mr Hohmann's constituency, caused a stir only after it was later found on the internet by a Jewish woman in America. Wolfgang Benz, head of the Berlin Centre for Anti-Semitism Research, says this is the first time in post-war history that a “coherent anti-Semitic argument” has been presented by a politician from a mainstream party.

Yet Mr Hohmann's ouster could be seen as encouraging. It shows that he and his like are on their way out of the Christian Democrats. The party has traditionally been a broad church that has accommodated the far right. Mr Hohmann's predecessor in his parliamentary constituency was a leader of a group known as the Stahlhelm fraction, known for its diehard nationalist views.

Pushing such people out of the party carries a risk, and not only in lost votes for the Christian Democrats. It could help a far-right party to gain momentum. Hence comments by Angela Merkel, the Christian Democrat leader, that may sound strange to foreign ears. She wants to stop national conservative voters being discredited, by drawing a clear line between them and Mr Hohmann. Christian Democrats, she thinks, still need to be able to say “we are proud of our country” - without lapsing into extremism or anti-Semitism.

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