Germany sickened by Berlusconi (barf alert)

BBC News Online ^ | July 05 2003

[knighthawk]

"When will it ever end?" the tabloid Bild newspaper asked on Friday, reflecting the general sense of frustration amongst Germans.

They are fed up. More than half a century after World War II, national stereotypes are still being dredged up.

Many Germans regard Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's comments that a German member of the European Parliament would be "perfect" for the role of a guard in a film about a Nazi concentration camp as insensitive and crass.

Young people who have had to come to terms with their country's Nazi past are equally astounded that a senior statesman could have put his foot in his mouth.

The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, claims the row with Italy is now over after Silvio Berlusconi telephoned Mr Schroeder to express his "regret".

The German chancellor has spent the day holed up in his office holding private meetings, avoiding any further questions about Mr Berlusconi's gaffe.

But for Martin Schulz, the German member of the European Parliament at the centre of the affair, the row is far from over.

In an interview with a German radio station, Mr Schulz denied that he had provoked Silvio Berlusconi and said the Italian Prime Minister must apologise to the European Parliament.

"If Berlusconi were to say: people, I am wrong, it won't be repeated, then the incident is settled. It has to be made clear to him, this is not a boxing match," Mr Schulz told Deutschlandradio.

In comparing a German politician to a concentration camp guard, and appearing to make a joke of the Nazi era, Silvio Berlusconi has broken one of Europe's long-standing taboos.

He has also violated rules of etiquette in Europe's central institutions.

The German EU commissioner, Guenter Verheugen, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that Mr Berlusconi's outburst had damaged the Italian presidency and had hurt Europe.

So while Silvio Berlusconi and Gerhard Schroeder may be trying to play down the diplomatic fall-out from the affair, the damage has been done.

"The crisis is certainly over for the German Government for the time being," Tom Levine from the Berliner Zeitung newspaper told the BBC. "But Berlusconi-bashing in the media and political circles will continue."

[knighthawk]

"When will it ever end?"

We were asking the same thing when Germany opted to protect Saddam Hussein.

Read here about how the German state protects former SS-officers from justice:

Netherlands Asks Germany to Arrest Former SS Officers (Germany protecting them)

[knighthawk]

Ping

[wunderkind54]

Apparently, the good Chancellor has a selective memory.

Didn't he imply George Bush acted like Hitler during his campaign recently?

Perhaps the jack-booted foot that needs to be removed from ones mouth is your own, Gerhardt.

[Beck_isright]

"More than half a century after World War II, national stereotypes are still being dredged up."

Attention Germany: If the iron boot fits, wear it.

[knighthawk]

Schroeder also went to the Netherlands to tell Pim Fortuyn was a 'dangerous man' during a PvdA (Labor/socialists party) congress were he was invited by the PvdA MP Wim Kok.

Pim Fortuyn was shot on May 6th.

[weegee]

Perhaps the jack-booted foot that needs to be removed from ones mouth is your own, Gerhardt

Hypocritical BTTT

[RaceBannon]

They sure do have a point...


...as soon as they stop callin us COWBOYS anyways...

but then again, we WANTED to be Cowboys, even Yankee kids like me wanted to be Cowboys...with White hats of course...

[DaBroasta]

Young people who have had to come to terms with their country's Nazi past are equally astounded that a senior statesman could have put his foot in his mouth.

Dumbed-down socialists are the same all over the world. All the little teutonic tikes need do is open their eyes and take a look around. They'll see that the neo-nazi movement is growing stronger in their country everyday. Hell, Schroeder's just peaved that Berlusconi outted them.

[Cacique]

The Germans were sniveling Nazis before Hitler, during Hitler and after Hitler. It's in their character. Gotta call a spade a spade.

[Commiewatcher]

Berlusconi is anti-Kyoto and a capitalist. That's what they really don't like.

[gaspar]

Half century my arse. The East German STASI was no better than the Gestapo and it went out of business only a decade ago.

[optimistically_conservative]

Actually, I'm starting to realize that the "coming to terms" means accepting the tenants of Naziism as part of German society, transferring guilt by comparing actions of non-Germans to Hitler/Nazis, while bristling at any comparison of modern Germany/Germans to their grandparents.

Germany's Neo-Nazi Movement

[OldFriend]

You assume STASI is out of business. Gestapo, Stasi, and all the other murderous secret service regimes are alive and well in all the leftist countries.

[DaBroasta]

I think your on target in your assessment. Having spent a few years over there, I can tell you that there's quite a few Germans that still haven't given up on the idea of a 1,000 year reich--especially since the wall came down. It gave me a chill to hear 'Deutchland uber alles' being sung by a mass of people who had never seen one another before or at least not in 40 years, within five minutes of the wall going down.

[firebrand]

It's very difficult to become a citizen there unless you have German ancestry.

[pepsionice]

It wasn't Schroeder who liken Bush to Hitler...it was his attorney general. She said that her remarks were misinterpreted. But the reporter stood by the report....and Schroeder still won the election.

This time is slightly different...there is no election...Germans that take this to heart will attempt to economic blackmail of Italy...but the Germans are in no position to harm anyone finanicially. And Berlusconi....he made one single comment...if challenged...he could make a 100 more...which wouldn't help Schroeder at all.