[Pressrelease] Hitler no longer to be an honorary citizen of Bad Doberan

[Presswork G8 2007 (english)]

*G8 2007, Heiligendamm, Germany* 


*Press Release Gipfelsoli Infogroup*
March 9th 2007 

"Hitler no longer to be an honorary citizen of Bad Doberan"
Gipfelsoli Infogroup: Right-wing globalization critique must be rejected 

Formally, Adolf Hitler is still an honorary citizen of Bad Doberan. He was 
elevated to this status by town officials in 1932.. Prior to the NSDAP 
coming to power here, Bad Doberan had been the first municipality to grant 
Hitler this title. 

Heiligendamm, where this year's G8 summit will be convened, belongs to the 
administrative district of Bad Doberan. The two towns are connected by the 
Lindenallee (Lime Tree Avenue), which Hitler once praised as "the most 
beautiful of Germany". The Dammchaussee ('Dam Road'), the road leading into 
the Lindenallee, was subsequently renamed 'Adolf-Hitler-Strasse' (Adolf 
Hitler Street). 

This Nazi honorary citizenship has already attracted high levels of 
international attention. From Iceland to Israel, from Russia to Portugal, 
G8-critics attending the Dissent! network Infotour events have been 
outraged. At present the Infotour team are on the road in 40 US cities as 
well as in Turkey, Switzerland, Spain, Greece and Mexico. 

As a result of initiatives of the German left-wing party, 'Die Linke', the 
formal recognition of Adolf Hitler as an honorary citizen Bad Doberan will 
finally be revoked. However, summit opponents argue that this step does not 
go far enough. 

"The town of Bad Doberan should make an official statement to the 
international protest movement that it endorses left-wing and emancipatory 
protest against capitalism and rejects the right-wing globalization 
critique", suggests Geert Achterhuis of the Dutch Dissent! network. 

In Mecklenburg Vorpommern (the region Heiligendamm and Bad Doberan are part 
of), the NPD ('National Democratic Party', the most successful extreme 
right-wing party in Germany) is using the G8 summit as an opportunity to 
circulate their inhumane nationalistic propaganda. Dressed in 
anti-capitalistic rhetoric, this propaganda demands more privileges for 
Germans at the expense of refugees and other underprivileged groups. 

The NPD has announced their anti-G8 demonstration for June 2nd 2007, 
parallel to the large left-wing demonstration that will take place in 
Rostock. Within the German left, a broad mobilization against it has begun. 

On February 25th 2007 the NPD attended a "citizens assembly" in Bad Doberan, 
organised by "Kavala", the special police branch preparing for the summit 
protests. "Kavala" has been touring the region around Heiligendamm for the 
past two months, informing locals of planned road closures and bathing 
restrictions.. "No opportunity is missed to warn locals about 'vandalism' 
and brand left-wing protests or blockades as 'violence prone', explains Adam 
Jones from the Gipfelsoli Infogroup. Udo Pastoers, the NPD parliamentarian 
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, along with 25 other Nazis distributed flyers at 
the citizens assembly and stayed until the end. Adam Jones is surprised, 
"Neither Knut Abramowski's [head of "Kavala"] PR team nor the citizens 
assembly of Bad Doberan seemed to be particularly bothered about this" 

[Gipfelsoli Infogroup] 

Further (German language) sources:
* Daily Newspaper 'Junge Welt' about the NPD in Bad Doberan: 
http://www.jungewelt.de/2007/03-07/007.php
* For a critique of right-wing anti-globalization politics, see for example: 
http://projekte.free.de/lotta/inhalt/nr26.htm
* Kavala praises the citizens assembly: 
http://www.polizei.mvnet.de/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3498&Itemi 
d=265
* Hitler, honorary citizen of Bad Doberan: 
http://www.sjd-falken.de/h/hi30dbr.htm
* Dissent! Infotour dates: http://wiki.dissentnetwork.org/wiki/Infotour 

[Gipfelsoli Infogroup, March 9th 2007] 

www.gipfelsoli.org 

+49 160 953 14 023 

Adam Jones (Leeds),
Andrea Brigante (Milano)
Marcus Steinhagen (Berlin),
Matthias Monroy (Berlin),
Natascha Jaskólka (Warszawa)