Top German
band Die Toten Hosen have turned on a surprise act in support of a couple who
have defied local neo-Nazis. Birgit and Horst Lohmeyer have organized nine
concerts for tolerance on their northern German farm.
Deutsche Welle, 30 Aug 2015
Frontman
Campino said the punk band turned up at the couple's farm on Saturday as a
"gesture of high respect" for the couple's long stand against
neo-Nazis living in the same village.
The visit
follows a series of suspected far-right arson attacks on intended and occupied
hostel for asylum-seekers across Germany offset by widespread help for refugees
given by volunteers at reception centers.
A thatched
barn belonging to Bigit and Horst Lohmeyer, artists aged 56 and 58
respectively, burned down earlier this month in what police said appeared to be
a case of arson with far-right origins. So far, suspects have not been
arrested.
Since 2004,
the Lohmeyers have lived in Jamel, a village with a reputation for being a
far-right nationalist stronghold, near Wismar, in sparsely populated
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The Lohmeyers say they're staying put |
The
northern state with its long Baltic Sea coastline and historic trading ports
was once part of communist East Germany.
Arriving at
the pair's rural home, Campino said the band wanted to send a signal for the
couple and "all the others, who don't turn away when Nazis claim space for
themselves."
He said the
couple's decision to stay put despite far-right animosity with its emotional
stress "must be an unbelievable burden."
Award from
trade union
During
Saturday's open air festival, called "Forest Rock - for a colorful
world," the pair was also honored with a 10,000 Euro ($11,181) civil
courage prize from the construction and agricultural trade union IG Bau.
Birgit
Lohmeyer nationwide expressions of solidarity for the Lohmeyers since the blaze
had encouraged them not to concede to what she called "Nazi terror."
The union's
federal chairman Robert Feiger said the award was for the Lohmeyer's exemplary
determination not to be intimidated by far-right extremists.
Feiger
urged authorities to be more assertive in pursuing far-right suspects. The pair
had exhibited an alternative, by not trivializing and turning away, he said.
Federal
Families Minister Manuela Schwesig tweeted this picture from the concert:
Pro-migrant
march in Dresden
Several
thousands of people attended a leftist protest march organized by the so-called
Anti-Nazi Alliance in Dresden on Saturday following a series of violent
anti-migrant protests in the region. The march stayed peaceful.
The crowd
chanted: "Refugees are welcome here," watched by police in riot gear.
Dresden was
the scene of anti-Islam protests by the right-wing movement Pegida earlier this
year.
Last
weekend, Heidenau, a town near Dresden, became the focus of Germany's effort to
absorb asylum-seekers, when far-right protestors violently opposed the opening
of a new refugee center.
Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Heidenau mid-week and said there would be zero tolerance
for "vile" anti-migrant violence.
Poll shows
optimism
German
public broadcaster ZDF said in a poll it had found that 60 percent of Gremans
believed that Europe's biggest economy was capable of hosting those arriving.
Latest estimates are for 800,000 asylum-seekers reaching Germany this year.
The
widely-toured Die Toten Hosen originated as a punk band based in Dusseldorf in
1982 and have published some 15 studio albums.
ipj/jr (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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German media and celebs rally for refugees after ugly protests http://t.co/XEAJLp1c3Y pic.twitter.com/cSXttSeAAG
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 30 augustus 2015
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|
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