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State Accountability: Dealing with Neo-Nazi Extremism
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BUCERIUS & AMERICAN COUNCIL ON GERMANY
TRANSATLANTIC GLOBAL AGENDA
Dr. Mehmet Daimagüler and Dr. Alexander Pyka: “State Accountability: Dealing with Neo-Nazi Extremism”
October 31st, 2014, 12-2 pm, Alston + Bird LLP, New York, NY
Dr. Mehmet Daimagüler and Dr. Alexander Pyka spoke on State Accountability: Dealing with Neo-Nazi Extremism as part of the Transatlantic Global Agenda Lecture Series jointly hosted by American Friends of Bucerius and the American Council on Germany at Alston & Bird LLP on October 31, 2014. Dr. Daimagüler is a lawyer based in Berlin who is representing the relatives of victims of the right-wing terrorist group, the NSU (National Socialist Underground). He is a leading activist on German-Turkish issues and was the first German of Turkish descent to be elected to the national board of a Germany party. He also spearheads Muslim-Jewish inter-religious dialogue. He is a graduate of Bonn University and the Kennedy School at Harvard, and a former World Fellow at Yale. Alexander Pyka is a graduate of Bucerius Law School and Tel Aviv University. He is a founder and board member of the Young Initiative on Foreign Affairs and International Relations (IFAIR) and has worked with Dr. Daimagüler on the NSU trial since its beginnings.
The main focus of the discussion centered on the NSU trials and the work that both speakers have completed on the case. Between 2000 and 2005, the organization committed nine murders. Of the nine victims, eight of these were Turkish immigrants and the ninth was of Greek descent. A string of bank robberies linked to group occurred throughout East Germany during this time, presumably to finance the group’s operations. Since 2011, the crimes of the NSU have been attributed to three members. Two of these ostensibly committed suicide, and the third, Beate Zschappe, was brought to trial in Munich.
The actions of the NSU bring up alarming, although important, discussions. The first is the possibility that the NSU is larger than previously believed. It is likely that a large network of sympathizers exists, especially in connection to the murders. For example, locals may have provided information to the organization by identifying primarily Turkish neighborhoods. Despite this chance, no further investigation into the larger network has been conducted. Another issue that has been brought to light by this trial is the tendency of the police, when such crimes occur, to assume that the perpetrators are foreigners and limit their investigations accordingly. And finally, the speakers discussed how the public appeared more willing to turn a blind eye when the crimes target Muslim immigrants.