At a party held by suspected right-wing extremists on a farm in Eschede in the district of Celle, the police found no criminal offenses. “For us, this event from last weekend is now over,” a police spokeswoman told the German Press Agency late Saturday afternoon.
According to police findings, around 50 participants attended the meeting a week ago. “It went on until late Saturday evening,” said the spokeswoman. She pointed out that it was an event on private property. “Different rules apply there.”
According to a report in the daily newspaper “taz”, neo-Nazis from all over Germany met last weekend for a solstice celebration. According to the report, the meeting was organized by the Young Nationalists, the party youth organization of the former NPD, which is now called “Die Heimat”.
The newspaper published photos taken by the media project “Recherche Nord”. They show several men and women wearing black, red and gold balaclavas. They are standing around a fire with torches. According to the report, there were rituals and symbols that date back to the Nazi era.
When asked by the dpa, the police confirmed that photographing the party event had been approved. “This happened in consultation with us,” said the police spokeswoman. According to the photographer, the photos were taken from a lifting platform and with a drone. The police were therefore on site.
Right-wing extremists have been gathering on the farm near Eschede for many years, for example at so-called solstice celebrations or harvest celebrations. The farm belongs to the “Die Heimat” party. The police regularly patrol the area to get an idea of what is going on, said a police spokeswoman.
Various organizations regularly call for protests against the events on the farm. “We will not accept the right-wing extremist activities here in Eschede,” Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) said at a demonstration in October 2023.
According to police, between 200 and 250 people gathered in Eschede for a rally and demonstration on Saturday afternoon. They responded to a call from the Südheide network against right-wing extremism. The speaker was former regional bishop and EKD council chairwoman Margot Käßmann. The event was peaceful and there were no unusual incidents, said a police spokeswoman.
People from many different areas, such as politics, trade unions, churches and other organizations, are taking part in the demonstrations against right-wing extremism. “It is a clear sign that the vast majority of our society unequivocally rejects right-wing extremist ideas,” it said.
Originally, the right-wing extremists’ meeting on the farm was expected to take place this weekend – which is why the alliance had planned the demonstration.
