An ugly day in Dresden
In what’s becoming an annual tradition, roughly 6,000 neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists marched in Dresden over the weekend to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the city’s firebombing during World War II. It was one of the largest gatherings of neo-Nazis in Germany’s postwar history: The marchers were met by about 10,000 counter-demonstrators including leaders ...
In what's becoming an annual tradition, roughly 6,000 neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists marched in Dresden over the weekend to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the city's firebombing during World War II. It was one of the largest gatherings of neo-Nazis in Germany's postwar history:
The marchers were met by about 10,000 counter-demonstrators including leaders of Germany's Green and Social Democratic parties. Riot police struggled to keep the two sides apart:
In what’s becoming an annual tradition, roughly 6,000 neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists marched in Dresden over the weekend to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the city’s firebombing during World War II. It was one of the largest gatherings of neo-Nazis in Germany’s postwar history:
The marchers were met by about 10,000 counter-demonstrators including leaders of Germany’s Green and Social Democratic parties. Riot police struggled to keep the two sides apart:
Der Spiegel comments:
Most in Dresden, of course, would like to commemorate the bombing absent the political wrangling over its historical meaning. Instead, each year turns into an absurd competition over which side can produce the most demonstrators, the neo-Nazis or the anti-Nazis. […]
Indeed, the fact that the demonstration is now little more than a numbers game, say German commentators, means that the neo-Nazis have found a fair amount of success in coopting the date for their own purposes.
Photos: NORBERT MILLAUER/AFP/Getty Images, JENS SCHLUETER/AFP/Getty Images, Carsten Koall/Getty Images
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy


Lessons for the Next War
Twelve experts weigh in on how to prevent, deter, and—if necessary—fight the next conflict.


It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
Not planning for the possibility of disintegration betrays a dangerous lack of imagination.


Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The artillery-fired cluster munitions could be lethal to Russian troops—and Ukrainian civilians.


Congrats, You’re a Member of Congress. Now Listen Up.
Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature.