On the 4th of February 2015 a new party, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF), founded on a pan-European basis and involving delegates and elected politicians from several European countries, was formally and publicly launched at the European Parliament in Brussels.

After being quietly founded in September 2014 and after several months of spadework (preparatory work), two dozen representatives of national opposition parties met to elect a (new) Board and to adopt the Statutes.

The meeting was chaired by Nick Griffin, a key nationalist figure in Britain for forty years and a former Member of the European Parliament.

The most important business of the day was the election of the Board. Italian Roberto Fiore (Forza Nuova; Italy) was unanimously voted as President (Chairman), and Jens Pühse, foreign relations officer of the German NPD, as the Secretary-General.

The (Executive) board of the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) consists of the following parties and persons:

Roberto Fiore (President/Chairman), Forza Nuova, Italy;

Artemis Mattheopoulos (Deputy Chairman), Golden Dawn Member of the Greek National Parliament;

Jens Pühse (Secretary-General), Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD), Germany;

Stefan Jacobsson, Svenskarnars Parti, Sweden;

Gonzalo Martin Garcia, Democracia Nacional, Spain;

Herve van Laethem, Nation, Belgium;

Daniel Carlsen, Danskernes Parti, Denmark;

Olivier Wyssa, Lawyer and Member of the Rhone-Alpes Regional Parliament, France.

We also welcomed our guest Kris Roman from EuroRus, which rendered outstanding services in the last years with different initiatives to deepen the relations to Russia.

The APF currently includes among its close associates four Members of the European Parliament, who were elected from Germany and Greece. Furthermore, it has the support of Regional Parliamentarians in six more European countries.

The foundation meeting went on to discuss and agree on a Political Action Plan for the next months. A number of combined activities were agreed, with the emphasis on the deepening of relations with Russia, a diplomatic mission to Syria and Europe-wide rallies against the backers of Islamist terrorism, which also threatens the very existence of Europe.

During a press conference afterwards the newly elected Board and the three Greek European Members Eptideios, Synadinos and Fountoulis from the Greek Golden Dawn discussed the continued repression of their party in Greece, where the party leader and other functionaries of Golden Dawn are still under arrest without trial.

The APF is determined to make working to defend the nationalist victims of political repression wherever the problem arises.

1) The USA and its Saudi and Qatari allies funnel weapons to Islamic State through Nato member Turkey;

2) The USA and its EU and UK puppets try to strangle the Syrian government/s efforts to fight the Islamist invasion;

3) USA ally Israel repeatedly bombs the Syrian army to aid the Islamist rebels, and patches up hundreds of wounded Jihadi fighters in Israeli hospitals before sending them back to war;

4) The USA pours heavy weapons into Iraq, where the army runs away, handing them over to Islamic State fighters;

4) The USA uses its British and French puppets to destroy the anti-Islamist government of Libya so that the ruins of that country are taken over by Islamic State.

And THEN Obama uses the Islamic State “threat” which America and its allies created to push the US Congress for a blank cheque allowing him to go to war anywhere in the world whenever he wants and for whatever reason.

http://www.infowars.com/how-many-more-wars/

These are the key findings of a delegation of political leaders and lawyers sent to Athens by the leading pan-European nationalist organisation, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom.

The first fact-finding mission organised by the European party Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) was held in Greece in December 2014 to investigate the issue of the political persecution against the Greek party Golden Dawn. The APF delegation attended several meetings in Athens, included a private meeting between the MEP Udo Voigt and the leaders of Golden Dawn, including MP Nikos Michaloliakos, who is currently jailed in the Koridallos prison, near Athens.

The delegations was composed by MEP Udo Voigt, from Germany, MEP Lampros Fountulis, from Greece, MEP Geogios Epitideios, from Greece, the president of the APF and former MEP Roberto Fiore, from Italy, Mr. Michail Kusnetsov, a lawyer from Russia, and Mr. Michele Saponaro, a lawyer from Italy.

It is obvious that the wave of imprisonment against members of the Greek party Golden Dawn is a planned political persecution, that is clearly intended to lead to the destruction of the party. The fact that the trial has still not yet started pushes legally-minded people to the conclusion that a political persecution is being launched in parallel with criminal activity that culminated with the murder of 2 young GD activists. The objective is to destroy GD at all levels.

Having studied all the available facts, the lawyers in the APF delegation concluded that there are is no evidence against the imprisoned MPs and that, as a result, they should all be released in March 2015, when the Greek legal deadline for trying or releasing prisoners expires.

In total 70 members of the party are awaiting trial, included 8 members of the Greek Parliament. The rest of the parliamentary group are also subjected to several serious and totally unjustifiable restrictions on their personal freedom.

Among other conclusions, the delegation found two clear pieces of evidence that prove that the wave of arrests against Golden Dawn was ordered personally by the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. This evidence is published and available on the official website of Golden Dawn.

The first is a recording of a conversation in which the secretary of the party of the Prime Minister Samaras admits precisely that. The other one is a taped conversation of the Prime Minister himself ordering the imprisonment of three leading Golden Dawn Members of Parliament – leaders, in other words, of the most outspoken opposition in Greek politics.

The lawyers who took part in the delegation announced that this is a violation of the Greek Constitution. Furthermore the lawyers concluded that the imprisonment of people without granting them the possibility of a fair trial constitutes a breach of articles 5 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

At the end of this month, Greece will face new elections. Golden Dawn does not have any chance to make a proper electoral campaign, because of the imprisonments of its MPs and because the funds from the Parliament are blocked until the Deputies are released. In spite of this support for the party continue to grow in the polls and it would probably reconfirm the result obtained in the last European elections, with a percentage of 9.4%. This is a sign that, despite the arrests, the party is still growing and is supported by more and more ordinary Greeks.

The fact-finding mission was successfully accomplished and the APF will continue in the next months to take on the case of Golden Dawn, reporting its findings at both legal and institutional level.

These irresponsible lunatics are try to lure Russia into the trap of a military conflict with the West.

The men behind this conspiracy against peace in Europe are not only trying to destabilise Russia and promote a ‘regime change’ against President Putin. They also have long-term geopolitical and economic aims:

– To slow the economic rise of Russia by economic sanctions, in order to weaken Russia as a geopolitical competitor of the United States;

– To sabotage the development of solid and long-lasting relations between Europeans and Russia;

– To stop the long-term development of a common Eurasian trade block from the Atlantic to Vladivostok.
The main weapon in the new US Cold War and NATO’s push for confronation with Russia is the creation and exploitation of the crisis in Ukraine.

Such a development would be devastating for all of us. If the worst comes to the worst, it could lead to a widespread European war. The NATO Warmongers could bring death, destruction and suffering to millions. No one in Europ,e including Russia, can support such madness.

Therefore, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF) campaigns strongly in the countries of Europe and in the European Parliament

– for a de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis

– for an immediate halt to the bad and politically counterproductive sanctions against Russia, and

– for a resumption of constructive relations with Russia to build trust and co-operation.

Beyond that we recommend a sovereign European Foreign and Security Policy without the interference of non-European powers such as the U.S. In particular, we demand the immediate end of any intelligence control of Europeans by the U.S.

We stand for a common European-Eurasian security architecture that promotes peace, economic prosperity the extension of political, economic and cultural relations between the soveriegn peoples of Europe and Asia. For this we recommend the abolition of NATO or the resignation from it of as many as possible European nations,
NATO no longer even pretends to be a defense alliance, but is now openly an instrument of global intervention for the narrow intererests of the US military-industrial complex, Washington and Wall Street. NATO’s so-called “missile protective shield” in Central and Eastern Europe, whose installation is ccrrectly seen by Russia as an act of aggression, must be removed immediately.

As patriots and Europeans we pledge ourselves to a world of sovereign nations and to a multipolar system of states on the basis of law, freedom and justice. The APF therefore rejects totally the policies of global interference and domination imposed by the USA and its puppet regimes in Europe,.

YES to peace and freedom!

YES to solidarity and sovereignty!

YES to Europe and its peoples!

Today, their warning came true. With the tragic attack on the Charlie Hebdo building in Paris, where at least twelve people were killed and several injured, the war has officially entered Western Europe.

Having been incubated in Syria with the help of the USA, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Israel and the European Union, ISIS/Daesh now threatens not only Syria and Iraq but also Lebanon. Christian communities are particularly vulnerable targets. Meanwhile, and also thanks to Western interference, Libya has its own growing Caliphate.

The Islamist foothold established the Balkans by NATO’s bombing of Serbia, now includes four thousand well-trained and heavily armed Jihadist fighters in Bosnia. Islamist cells are ready and well organized, as we have now seen, to launch attacks in various European countries.

There are thousands of Jihadi fighters from all over Europe fighting in Syria. When they return home they find a vast pool of potential recruits for Jihadi cells to bring terror to our own streets. Now is time for Europe to act.

First of all, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom demand that the European Institutions and the governments of all European countries break diplomatic relations with all those countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, that have strongly supported, financially, logistically and culturally, the spread of radical Islamism in Europe and the Islamist terrorist invasion of Syria.

Second, we urge the USA, the European Union and the governments of the various countries – particularly the United Kingdom and France – which have collectively encouraged, excused, trained, armed and aided Islamist ‘rebels’ in Libya and Syria, to halt and reverse this deadly folly. The neo-con attempt to “remake the Middle East” that began with the Iraq War continues to produce deadly fruit and must be exposed and undone.

The massacre in Paris has shown just how deadly is the ‘Blowback’ from these attempts to manipulate Islamism for outdated imperialistic ends. Such policies should be replaced by co-operation with the nations which have already proved their dedication and effectiveness in combating Wahhabi Islamism – in particular Syria, Russia and Iran.

Third, we call upon Israel to stop providing medical aid and air strike assistance to Jihadi terrorists in Syria, and to end the oppression of Palestinians which does so much to radicalise Muslim opinion and is the best recruiting sergeant for Islamic extremism.

Fourth, the governments of Europe should act immediately to protect our peoples at home. They should immediately close European borders to Muslim immigration and shut all clandestine migration routes. All illegal Muslim immigrants should be deported without delay.

A security assessment of Muslim residents should be followed by the expulsion of all who are reasonably suspected of having links with terrorist cells or subscribing to the ideological and theological tenets which underpin Wahhabi terror and aggression.

Europe is at a crossroads: it will either disappear under the heel of Islam or it will recall its inner strength, recover its confidence and save our Civilization. Tours, Lepanto, Vienna – we have been here before and, together, we will once again secure Peace, Freedom in a Christian Europe!

Alliance for Peace and Freedom, 7 January 2015

No One Has A Monopoly on Truth — Sergey Lavrov

“Ladies and gentlemen,

“There is growing evidence today of a contradiction for collective and purposive efforts in the interest of developing adequate responses to challenges common to all of us, and the aspiration of a number of states for domination and a revival of the archaic block thinking based on military drill discipline and the erroneous logic of friend or foe”.

“The US-led western alliance that portrays itself as a champion of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights within individual countries acts from a directly opposite position in the international arena, rejecting the democratic principles of sovereign equality of states, and trying to decide for everyone what is good and what is evil”.

“Washington has openly declared its right to the unilateral use of military force anywhere to advance its own interests. Military interference has become a norm, even despite the dismal outcome of all operations of force that the US has carried out over recent years. The sustainability of the international system has been severely shaken by the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia, intervention in Iraq, the attack against Libya, and the failure in Afghanistan”.

“Only due to intensive diplomatic efforts was the aggression against Syria prevented in 2013. There was an involuntary impression that the goal of various color revolutions and other projects to change unsuitable regimes is to create chaos and instability. Today, Ukraine has fallen victim to this arrogant policy. The situation there has revealed the remaining deep-rooted systematic flaws of the existing architecture in the Euro-Atlantic area. The West has embarked on a course towards vertical structuring of humanity, tailored to its own far-from-inoffensive standards”.

“After they declared victory in the Cold War and the so-called End of History, the US and the EU have opted to expand the geopolitical area that is under their control without taking into account the balance of legitimate interests of all people of Europe. The western partners did not heed our numerous warnings of the inadmissibility of violating the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. Time and again, they have avoided serious joint work to establish a common space of equal and indivisible security and cooperation, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean”.

“The Russian proposal to draft the European Security Treaty was rejected. We were told directly that the legally binding guarantees of security are only meant for the members of the North Atlantic Alliance, and at this time they continue to expand to the East in spite of the promises that were given to the contrary. The instantaneous switch of NATO to hostile rhetoric, to the drawdown of its cooperation with Russia even to the detriment of the West’s own interests, and the buildup of military infrastructure on Russia’s borders reveal the inability of the alliance to change its genetic code which it created during the Cold War”.

“The US and the EU supported the coup d’état in Ukraine and reverted to outright justification of any acts by the self-proclaimed Kiev authorities that opted for suppression by force of the part of the Ukraine people which had rejected attempts to impose throughout the country an anti-constitutional order and wanted to defend its right to its native language, culture, and history. It is precisely the aggressive assault on these rights that helped the population of Crimea to take its destiny in its own hands and make a choice in favor of self-determination”.

“This was an absolutely free choice, no matter what was invented by those who are primarily responsible for the internal conflict in Ukraine. General attempts to distort the truth and hide facts behind blanket accusations have been undertaken at all stages of the Ukrainian crisis. Nothing has been done to try to hold to account those responsible for the bloody February events at Maidan, and the massive loss of human life in Odessa, Mariupol, and other regions of Ukraine. The scale of the appalling humanitarian disaster provoked by the acts of the Ukrainian army in Southeastern Ukraine has been deliberately understated”.

“Recently, new horrifying facts have been brought to light, when mass graves were discovered in the suburbs of Donetsk. Despite UN Security Council Resolution 2166, a thorough and independent investigation of the circumstance of the loss of the Malaysian airliner over the territory of the Ukraine has been drawn out. The perpetrators of all these crimes must be identified and brought to justice, otherwise it will be difficult to count on national reconciliation occurring in Ukraine”.

“Russia is sincerely interested in the restoration of peace in this neighboring country, and this should be well understood by all who are slightly acquainted with the history of the deep-rooted and fraternal ties between these two peoples. The way towards political settlement is well known. Last April, Kiev already took upon itself an obligation in the Geneva Declaration of Russia, Ukraine, the US, and EU to immediately begin a broad national dialogue with the participation of all regions and political forces in Ukraine, with a view to carrying out constitutional reform. The implementation of this obligation would allow all Ukrainians to agree on how to live in accordance with their traditions and culture, and would enable Ukraine to restore its organic role as a binding link between the various parts of the European space, which naturally implies the preservation and respect by all of its neutral and non-block status”.

“We are convinced that with goodwill and the refusal to support the party of war in Kiev which is trying to push the Ukrainian people into the abyss of national catastrophe, a way out of the crisis is within our reach. The way to overcome a crisis has been opened with the achievement of the ceasefire agreement in Southeastern Ukraine on the basis of initiatives by Presidents Poroshenko and Putin. With the participation of their representatives of Kiev, Donetsk, Lugansk, as well as the OSCE and Russia, practical measures are being agreed upon for the successive implementation of those agreements, including the separation of the parties to the conflict, the removal of heavy weapons of Ukraine and militia forces, and the setting up of monitoring through the OSCE”.

“Russia is prepared to continue to actively promote the political settlement under the well known Minsk process as well as other formats. However, it should be crystal clear that we are doing this for the sake of peace, tranquility, and the well-being of the Ukrainian people – rather than to appease someone’s ambitions. Attempts to put pressure on Russia and to compel it to abandon its values, truth, and justice have no prospects whatsoever for success”.

“Allow me to recall some history from not so long ago. As a condition for establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, the US government demanded of Moscow guarantees of non-interference into the domestic affairs of the United States and obligations not to take any actions with a view to changing the political or social order in America. At that time, Washington feared a revolutionary virus, and those guarantees were put on record. And this was the basis for, of course, reciprocity between the US and the Soviet Union. Perhaps it makes sense to return to this topic and reproduce the demands of that time of the US government – on a universal scale”.

“Why would the General Assembly not adopt a declaration on the inadmissibility of interference into the internal affairs of sovereign states and the non-recognition of a coup d’état as the method for the change of power? The time has come to completely exclude from international interactions attempts to exert illegitimate pressure by some states on others. The senselessness and counter-productive nature of unilateral sanctions is obvious if we look at the example of the US blockade on Cuba”.

“The policy of ultimatums and the philosophy of supremacy and domination do not meet the requirements of the 21st century, and run counter to the objective process of developing a polycentric and democratic world order”.

“Russia is promoting a positive and unifying agenda. We always were, and continue to be, open to discussion of the most complex issues no matter how unresolvable they may seem to be in the beginning. We will be prepared to search for compromises and a balance of interests, and even to exchange concessions, but only if the discussion will be truly respectful and equitable. The Minsk agreements of 5 and 19 September, on the way out of the Ukrainian crisis, and the compromise on the timeline of the agreement between Kiev and the EU are good examples to follow as is the declaration, finally, of the readiness of Brussels to begin negotiations on the establishment of a free-trade agreement between the European Union and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan as had been proposed by President Putin back in January of this year”.

“Russia has consistently called for the harmonization of integration projects in Europe and Eurasia. The political on political benchmarks and timelines of such a convergence of integrations would make a real contribution to the work of the OSCE on the topic of Helsinki Plus 40″.

“Another crucial area of this work would be to launch a pragmatic discussion, free from ideology, about the political and military architecture of the Euro-Atlantic region, so that not only members of NATO but all countries of the region including Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia would experience equal and indivisible security, and would not have to make a false choice of ‘either with us, or against us’. New dividing lines in Europe must not be allowed, even more so because in the era of globalization those lines can turn into a watershed divide between the West and the rest of the world”.

“It should be stated honestly that no one has a monopoly on truth and no one is now capable of tailoring global and regional processes to their own needs. There is no alternative today to the development of consensus regarding the rules of sustainable governance and new historical circumstances with full respect of the cultural and civilizational diversity of the world, and a multiplicity of models of development. It will be a difficult and perhaps a tiresome task to achieve such a consensus on every issue, but the recognition of the fact that democracy in every state is the worst form of government except for all the others also took time to break its way through, until Churchill proclaimed his verdict”.

“The time has come to realize the inevitability of this fundamental truth in international affairs, where today there is a huge deficit of democracy. Of course, some will have to shatter centuries-old ideas and abandon claims to eternal uniqueness, but there is no other way forward. Joint efforts can only be built on the principle of mutual respect and taking into account one another’s interests, as is the case for example in the framers of the United Nations Security Council, the G20, BRICS, and the SCO”.

“The theory of the value of collective work has been reaffirmed by practice, and this includes progress in the settlement of the situation around the Iranian nuclear program and the successful conclusion of the chemical de-militarization of Syria. On the point, speaking of chemical weapons, we would like to receive authentic information on the state of the chemical arsenals in Libya. We understand that our NATO colleagues, having bombed this country in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, would not like to stir up the mayhem that they have created. However, the problem of uncontrolled Libyan chemical arsenals is too serious to turn a blind eye to”.

“We think that the UN Secretary General has an obligation to show proof of his responsibility on this issue as well. What is important at this point is to see the global priorities and to avoid holding them hostage to a unilateral agenda. There is an urgent need to refrain from double standards and approaches to conflict settlement. Generally, everyone agrees that the key issue is to resolutely counter terrorists who are attempting to bring under their control increasingly broader territories in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, the Sahara-Sahel area”.

“That being the case, this task should not be sacrificed to ideological schemes or the desire to settle personal scores. Terrorists, no matter what slogans they hide behind, should remain outside the law. Moreover, it goes without saying that the fight against terrorism should rely on a solid foundation of international law. An important phase in this matter was the unanimous adoption by a number of UN security resolutions, including those on the issue of foreign terrorist fighters, and, to the contrary, attempts to contravene the charter of our organization do not contribute to the success of joint efforts”.

The struggle against terrorists on the territory of Syria should be organized in cooperation with the Syrian government, which has clearly stated its readiness to join it. Damascus has already shown its capability of cooperating with international programs when it participated in the destruction of its chemical arsenals. From the very beginning of the Arab Spring, Russia called for it not to be left to extremists and for the establishment of a united front to counter the growing terrorist threat. We went against the temptation to make allies of almost anyone who proclaimed himself an enemy of Bashar Al Assad, whether it be Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, or other fellow travelers seeking regime change, including ISIL, which today is the focus of our attention”.

“As the saying goes, better late than never. It is not for the first time that Russia is making a very real contribution to the fight against both ISIL and other terrorist factions in the region. We have sent large supplies of weapons and military equipment to the governments of Iraq, Syria, and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and we will continue to support their efforts to suppress terrorists. The terrorist threat requires a comprehensive approach; we want to eradicate its root cause rather than be condemned to react only to the symptoms. ISIL is only part of the problem”.

“We propose to launch, under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council, an in-depth and broad study on extremist and terrorist threats and aspects of their threat in the Middle East and North African region”.

“This integrated approach implies also the long-standing conflict should be considered primarily between the Arabs and Israel. The absence of a settlement of the Israel-Palestine issue over several decades remains and is widely recognized one of the main factors of instability in the region which is helping the extremists to recruit more and more jihadists”.

“Another literally urgent area of our common work together is the joining of our efforts to implement decisions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council to combat the Ebola virus. Our doctors are already working in Africa. There are plans to send additional humanitarian assistance, equipment, medical instruments, medicines, and teams of experts to assist the UN programs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

The United Nations was established on the ruins of World War II, and it is entering the year of its 70th anniversary. It is an obligation for us all to celebrate in an appropriate manner the anniversary of the great victory, and to give tribute to the memory of all who perished for freedom and the right of each people to determine its own destiny”.

“The lessons of that terrible war, and the entire course of events in today’s world, require us to join efforts and forget about unilateral interests and national election cycles. When it comes to countering global threats to all humanity, it should not be allowed for national egoism to prevail over collective responsibility”.

During the opening of the headquarters, Roberto Fiore, the leader of the FN announced that a demonstration would be held in the centre of Bergamo on the 18th October. Talking about the demonstration, Roberto explained: “We want to emphasize our opposition to this wave of immigrants, reaffirming our close proximity to the Italian families who are facing a very difficult situation. It is us, Forza Nuova, who will provide the real help to the Italians.”

Salvatore Ferraro, the regional co-ordinator of the party said: “This venue will also be used as storage for ‘national solidarity’; our initiative to collect and distribute food and goods to Italians in trouble.”

Can the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) be banned?

The possibility has ignited a new wave of intense discussion amongst the political classes, amongst the media, and to a certain extent amongst the German public, as to the validity of such an undertaking.

The objective of the established political forces in Germany is to have the Constitutional Court, which is based in Karlsruhe, declare that the NPD is fundamentally opposed, indeed hostile, to the German constitution.

A political party in Germany can only be declared as being hostile to the constitution if that party turns against the established democratic order, as that order has been legally established by the Federal Republic.

The legal hurdles for the banning of a political party are significant. A political party can only be outlawed in Germany if it can be proved that the activities of such an organization are aggressive in the desire to overthrow the current political order. A programmatic expression that a political party rejects the democratic system is not sufficient grounds upon which to have that organization legally barred from the political system.

As a result, only twice in the history of the Federal Republic, since its founding in 1949, has a political party been banned. The first was in 1952 when the nationally minded Sozialistische Reichspartei (SRP) was banned; and the second in 1956 with the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD).

In 2003, the political forces in Germany attempted to impose a similar ban on the NPD. However, the attempt failed.

One of the reasons it failed was that the prosecution (i.e. the political forces) depended too heavily on police informants, in other words it depended on NPD members who had been offered money to snitch on their fellow members.

This clandestine operation was (and still is being) carried out by a special department in the German Interior Ministry. This department is responsible for protecting the German constitution and for ensuring that the country’s electorate doesn’t go too far astray in its political views.

When it came to proving that the NPD was aggressively hostile in its actions to the German constitution, the suspect nature of these informants, and presumably their suspect political views too, proved fatally damaging to the government’s case.

In no other European country is there a comparable authority, charged with “protecting the constitution”.

As a consequence  of the previous attempt to ban the NPD (brought to the  Constitutional Court in 2001 and rejected in 2003), the German Interior Ministry has this time around decided not to use any NPD informants in its prosecution. Instead, it has said it expects only to introduce so-called “untainted” sources, sources that presumably come directly from quotes and statements made by the NPD itself.

Last year, the Interior Minister introduced a comprehensive collection of materials, which are supposed to serve as this alternative line of argument for a ban. Their case is, to put it mildly, weak.

This is one of the main reasons why, in spite of repeated appeals by the media, and politicians, and by the Bundesrat (the two-chambered institution that represents the 16 individual states), Angela Merkel’s administration has been reluctant to support a new legal push to ban the NPD.

Indeed, it is apparent to many that the risk of yet another failed attempt to ban the NPD is high; not least because:

■       The NPD does nothing illegal
■       It participates legally in the political life of the Federal Republic
■       It has regularly stated that it has no intention of operating outside of the law of the land and/or of the constitution
■       It has consistently stated that it rejects the use of force in political life

The NPD seizes the initiative – a petition that counters the ban proposal

The constant public discussion about a possible ban puts the NPD at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to achieving its political aims. Indeed, the ever present proposal almost acts as a de facto ban on the party.

In all public discourse, the NPD is to all intents and purposes constantly  discriminated against, since both its reputation and its election prospects are being constantly and deliberately maligned by even the threat of a ban.

As a consequence, the NPD is hampered in its efforts to influence political debate, in the way that other political parties take for granted. Surely this is contrary to the intentions of the German constitution?

Therefore, it is clearly in the interests of the NPD to establish a clear ruling on the question of whether or not this particular political party is “hostile to the constitution’.

So, and in anticipation that a proposal to ban the NPD will be filed by the Interior Minister or some other political entity, the party itself filed a request (12.11.2012) that this very question should be adjudicated on without further delay.

This is the so-called “Counter Petition”, a request which actually represents a first in the legal history of the Federal Republic.

By filing such a “Counter-Petition” to the German courts, the NPD is seeking once and for all a ruling that the NPD isn’t hostile to the constitution; and therefore cannot be banned.

This action is already widely viewed as an effective legal and political move that seeks to act against political discrimination.

One objective has indeed already been met. By filing this request in Karlsruhe the party has – as suggested by the public’s reaction – seized the political initiative and placed the ball back in its opponent’s court.

How will it turn out?

Because the Constitutional Court has rejected the NPD’s request to have a formal declaration as to whether or not the party is hostile to the German constitution, the party will  now appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The objective of this appeal will be to produce a legal ruling that attests to the fact that the NPD is indeed in accordance with the German constitution.

Regardless of where this case is heard – be it in Karlsruhe or at the European Court of Human Rights – the NPD is highly confident of a favourable outcome.

According to the rule of law in Germany, and as provided for in the country’s constitution, a ban cannot be placed on the NPD. However should the highest court in the land bow to pressure from the established political parties, and rule that a ban is legally possible, then it is highly likely that this decision would be overturned by the European Court of Human Rights; because that court has far stricter criteria for allowing political parties to be banned than exists in Germany.

The political damage to those advocating a ban on the NPD would be significant.

They would be required to attest before a European Court that they would have treated the NPD as not being in accordance with the principles of the German legal state.

The international reputation of the German legal state would in this case be severely damaged.

The attempt to ban the NPD could very easily blow up in their faces in spectacular style. That’s one of the problems of such attacks on freedom and democracy.

The Alliance for Peace and Freedom will bring you more news on this case as it develops.

Drivers said that they face daily threats of damage to their trucks and lorries, concerns over the loss of their livelihoods and hefty fines when the immigrants are caught in their vehicles.

Following the protest, Nick Griffin told the media: “I am here because four years ago British lorry drivers stopped me when I was driving through Belgium and told me ‘you’ve got to do something to explain what’s going on because every single day us and our colleagues are having our lorries broken into by illegal immigrants’.

“We are being threatened, being stabbed and being beaten.

“They are desperate to get into Britain and stop at nothing.”

The APF believes it is important to give a responsible voice to citizens who feel alienated from the political process and ‘left behind’ by change.

“The best defence against the growth of racism is effective control of borders and defence of the rule of law.

“Where is the ‘equality’ when the authorities refuse to protect hard-working lorry drivers and fine them for having stowaways they don’t even know about, while the illegal immigrants who break the law to get to Britain are put in luxury hotels at taxpayer’ expense?”

This was another thing which Nick Griffin told reporters during interviews during this demonstration.  But, of course, such sentiments do not fit the controlled media stereotype, so don’t get reported!

Speakers included German and Greek MEPs Udo Voigt and General Epitideios, together with former BNP MEP Nick Griffin. The letter of complaint which was handed to a senior diplomat was read out in English and Flemish by Euro-Russian campaigner Chris Roman.

Many thanks to the comrades from the  French-speaking Belgian party Nation for liasing with the authorities to ensure the event went smoothly.