Political police raid German anti-Nazis

On January 19, German political police raided the Berlin and Dresden offices of several anti-Nazi groups, including the Dresden Nazi-Free Alliance, "No Pasaran", "Red Stuff", and the left-wing party Die Linke.
Thousands of posters, stickers and leaflets for an anti-Nazi protest on February 13 were confiscated, and a number of computers were seized.

The raids provoked immediate protest from the Die Linke, the Greens, the Social Democratic Party, the anti-globalisation group ATTAC and several trade unions.

The protest – organised by the Dresden Nazi-Free Alliance, a broad alliance of over 230 organisations and 800 high profile individuals – plans a peaceful blockade to prevent a fascist parade on February 13, the 65th anniversary of the WWII Allied fire-bombing of Dresden.

The date is a regular neo-Nazi rallying point, commemorating what they call a “bombing holocaust”, and there have been repeated calls to have the Nazi commemorations banned.

While last year’s fascist parade only went ahead because of massive police protection, the government has chosen to disrupt this year’s counter-demostration beforehand.

The raids come only two weeks after right-wing Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann called on the government to spy on members and offices of Die Linke and other “left-wing extremists”.