German general dismissed for praising anti-Semitism

AP/The Jerusalem Post ^ | 4 November 2003 | ASSOCIATED PRESS

[anotherview]

Nov. 4, 2003
German general dismissed for praising anti-Semitism
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN

Germany's defense minister on Tuesday dismissed the head of the country's elite special forces after the general praised a conservative lawmaker under investigation for alleged anti-Semitic remarks.

Brig. Gen. Reinhard Guenzel, the commander of Germany's special forces since 2000 and a 40-year veteran of the armed forces, was fired after writing a letter to lawmaker Martin Hohmann, praising his "courage" for a speech that drew criticism from across the political spectrum and legal action from Jewish leaders.

"It was an excellent speech, of a courage, truth and clarity, which one seldom hears or reads in our country," wrote Guenzel, 59.

Defense Minister Peter Struck said the general's "unacceptable" remarks had tarnished the Germany military's reputation, but he insisted they were an "isolated case" and did not reflect widely held opinions among the soldiers.

"I have decided to relieve him of his command and to dismiss him. With that, the case is closed for me," Struck said. "What we are talking about here is one muddled general."

The special forces, created in the 1990s after German reunification, have seen duty in Afghanistan as part of Germany's contribution to the U.S.-led war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks. Its troops took part in last year's U.S.-led Operation Anaconda to rout Taliban and al-Qaida holdouts in the mountains of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province.

Prosecutors in the central city of Fulda placed Hohmann under investigation Monday to examine whether he could face criminal charges of incitement, slander and disparaging the dead for his comments in an Oct. 3 speech marking German Unity Day.

Paul Spiegel, the leader of Germany's Jewish community, told WDR public radio the remarks were "the worst case of anti-Semitism that I have experienced in the last decade."

Citing an allegedly prominent role of Jews in the 1917 communist revolution in Russia, Hohmann suggested in his speech that their actions were comparable to those of the Nazis. He claimed that Germans were still being victimized for the Nazi past.

"With a certain justification, one could ask in view of the millions killed in the first phase of the revolution about the 'guilt' of the Jews," Hohmann said. He said "it would follow the same logic with which the Germans are described as a guilty people."

Hohmann, 55, on Saturday apologized for the comments under pressure from his Christian Democratic Union, the main opposition party formerly led by ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Party leaders publicly reprimanded him. But Spiegel, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, urged them to go farther and force him out of the party.

"I find it commendable how the armed forces reacted. In my opinion the Christian Democrats should take an example from them in how to deal with their own horrible incident," Spiegel said.

Hohmann refused to comment Tuesday on his way into a party meeting in Berlin.

Guenzel's letter was read by Hohmann read to ZDF television and later confirmed by the Defense Ministry as authentic.

"Even if all of those who agree with this view or clearly articulate it are immediately lumped with the far right ... you can be certain that you clearly speak for the majority if our people," Guenzel wrote.

"I hope that you will not let yourself be deflected by these aspersions that come largely from the left and will continue courageously to stay your course."

Known in German as Kommando Spezialkraefte, the special forces are closely identified with Germany's willingness to take on greater responsibility on the world stage after the end of the Cold War.

The Defense Ministry said Guenzel was in Germany but unavailable for comment.

[tictoc]

By 1936 the Nazis had brutally suppressed all opposition. They didn't need to. They would have won an overwhelming majority in a free election.

I see a contradiction between your two statements.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

Defense Minister Peter Struck said the general's "unacceptable" remarks had tarnished the Germany military's reputation

Nah, Id say that what tarnished Germanys military reputation was when the Nazis were thorwing people into freaking OVENS!