Growing-Up Neo-Nazi: Family Life Among Germany’s Far-Right Extremists
Experts are worried about the children of Germany’s neo-Nazis growing up in isolated extremist communities. The children read Nazi-era books, put together puzzles showing maps with 1937 borders and attend camps with ideological instruction. Is it time for the state to intervene?
Summer vacation has arrived in Germany. For many children being raised in neo-Nazi families, this means their parents have arranged for them to spend their free time doing what they think will serve the Volk and Vaterland. Their aim? A nationalist upbringing outside the mainstream.
Such activities can include camping, survival training and trips on horseback with the children of other neo-Nazis. Indeed, more and more families in Germany’s right-wing extremist scene are coming to organize their vacations and free time along ideological lines.
Some locations even offer discounts to attract the children of neo-Nazis. Take the example of an equestrian farm in Ahrensfelde, a small town just a short drive northeast of Berlin. SPIEGEL ONLINE has obtained a copy of a May e-mail that refers to “comrades,” in which the horse ranch offers a full week of riding — complete with campfires and nocturnal hikes — for just €150 ($214). Children are reportedly also divided up into groups according to their riding abilities and “Weltanshauung,” or “world view.” The farm’s operator refused to answer questions about the offer.