Combat 18

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Combat 18 (short form: C18 or 318 ) is a militant neo-Nazi organization that comes from Great Britain and initially acted as a hall protection for the right-wing British National Party (BNP). In 1993 it broke away from the BNP and spread to other countries. In Canada , the group has been classified and prosecuted as a terrorist organization under the Anti-terrorism Act 2001 since June 2019 . On January 23, 2020, the group was established in Germany by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in accordance with Section 3 (1) of the Association Act Prohibited because, according to the authorities, their ideology was directed against the constitutional order.

history

Combat 18 was founded in 1992 by Charlie Sargent and Harold Covington as hall protection for events of the British National Party, e.g. B. founded with the well-known Holocaust denier David Irving . She also worked as a room steward for other right-wing extremist organizations. She also created lists of political opponents (see also Redwatch ). Little by little, Combat 18 moved further and further away from the BNP. In 1992 and 1993, Combat 18 executives met with hooligan gangs such as the Chelsea Headhunters , Arsenal Gooners and other groups from Millwall , Oxford and Reading . David Myatt , who was the leader of the British National Socialist Movement (NSM), was also considered one of the leading ideological minds . The businessman William Browning is considered to be the main head of the European structures . In the UK, Combat 18 published a magazine called Redwatch. In this, political opponents were denounced with names, addresses and photos.

In 2012, Combat 18 was re-established on an international level under the motto “Reunion 28” - reunification. There are now C18 divisions in around 25 countries.

ideology

The "comrades" of Combat 18 refer in their worldview to the racist idea of ​​a predominance of the "white race" . The aim of all of their actions is the establishment of a totalitarian, democracy-free state based on the historical model of National Socialist rulers. Their fantasies of great power are also received.

While at the beginning of the group it was a rather simply structured, fascist "thug group", terrorist methods were soon propagated and implemented by ideological masterminds. In the 1990s, C18 members in Britain carried out a number of pipe bomb attacks on migrants , homosexuals and other political opponents. Formally no one confessed to the deeds. A clandestine terror concept has been implemented at the latest since the reorganization in 2012 . An essential feature are the considerations of the Leadless Resistance , according to which members of the group independently carry out acts of terrorism such as murders and other acts of violence. Although the cells have loose contact with one another and identify with the target of C18, a management and organizational structure cannot be used. It is noticeable that many of the individual known acts of violence are usually not carried out by the inner circle of C18 members, but by fellow travelers.

After attacks, nobody usually confesses to the crime. Formally, it is therefore difficult for the investigators to classify the act as clearly political, as happened in the case of the murdered politician Walter Lübcke . On the other hand, this shifts the perception of the murderer-victim relationship into a “collective judging” by a “higher power”. This idea is closely related to the thoughts of the racists of the US terrorist organization The Order .

The aim is to provoke a political overthrow through uncertainty and disorientation. The aim is to show how vulnerable a democratic society is. In some cases, an inconsistent idea of ​​a “national revolution” is also longed for.

As with Blood & Honor, an important component of the group identity is self-assurance through symbolism in the form of patches , graffiti and on banners .

Combat means fight, the number "18" in the name of the group stands for the first and eighth letters of the alphabet, the initials of Adolf Hitler . One of their slogans is: "White Revolution is the only solution" ("White Revolution is the only solution"). The “318” is also used as another right-wing extremist symbol or sign , the “3” stands for the third letter in the alphabet, the “C”.

A dragon is used as the core symbol. Only “authorized” groups are allowed to integrate this symbol into their respective nationalistic symbols.

Attributed acts of violence

  • 1997: The 28-year-old right-wing extremist Christopher Castle was stabbed to death as part of a power struggle within the British Combat 18 group. For the act, both Combat 18 members Paul David Sargent and Martin Cross were sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • 2012: Two Combat 18 trailers set fire in the Czech Republic on a residential building mainly inhabited by Romanians. The residents were able to put out the fire quickly and there was no major damage. The two main perpetrators, 25-year-old Tomáš K. and 35-year-old Michal P., were sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for attempted murder . Seven other people were also convicted of membership in a criminal organization, two of whom were sentenced to prison terms without parole.

countries

Germany

In the 1990s, the activities of neo-Nazis who saw themselves as a C18 group were still inconsistent. However, as early as 1999 there were attacks and threatening letters against politicians and trade unionists in Elmshorn , in which the abbreviation Combat 18 appeared. The involvement of German neo-Nazis in the Combat 18 network became public knowledge in January 2004 in the form of a German Combat 18 group in Pinneberg (Schleswig-Holstein) after apartment searches. Gun finds, propaganda materials and plans to use force were confirmed by the police.

2005 said Giovanni Di Blasi, the operator of the Italian association Eda propaganda and editor of the Blood-and-Honour- and Combat18 - fanzines The Stormer , on the festival of nations in Jena. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia continued to register various incidents. In 2007 in Dortmund, for example, a Tunisian was gunned down by an alleged Combat 18 member in an Aldi branch.

In 2012 Combat 18 Germany was founded as an "authorized" German division of an international network of C18 groups. Regional focal points in Germany are the Dortmund, East Holstein , Thuringia and North Hesse area . According to research carried out by the independent anti-fascist research platform EXIF ​​- Research & Analysis , around 50 people can prove a membership in "Combat 18" Germany. However, a number of other neo-Nazis regularly appear in personal contexts from C18 Germany or refer to them.

"Combat 18" Germany is organized according to a fixed organizational structure and the members refer to a guideline paper that is held in the style of an association's statute. It defines various “brotherly duties”, monthly meetings and membership payments, admission and exclusion criteria and even a dress code.

At the beginning of 2017 it was reported that Combat 18 was again operating in several federal states. According to information from NDR and Süddeutscher Zeitung , the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has knowledge that in June 2016 German Combat 18 is said to have transferred part of its membership fees to other EU countries. An alleged leader of the group is also said to have made transfers for the Hungarian section. At the beginning of 2020, SPIEGEL named Stanley Röske from the Kassel area and the neo-Nazi Robin Schmiemann from Dortmund as the leading figures of "Combat 18" in Germany.

On January 23, 2020, the Federal Ministry of the Interior banned the German offshoot "Combat 18 Germany" on the basis of Section 3 (1) of the Association Act . According to the Ministry's assessment, the orientation of the group was directed against the constitutional order as well as against criminal laws. Ideologically, it attested to her "essential affinity with National Socialism". The group's activities consisted primarily in the distribution of right-wing extremist music, the organization of concerts and the sale of merchandise. According to Thomas Haldenwang , President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution , Combat 18 has been observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution since its inception in Germany. Its information would have formed the basis for the pronounced ban, and based on this, a group size of only 20 people is assumed. The ban was widely criticized because it would come too late and the announcement would have given members six months to remove evidence.

Ireland

Combat 18 was also active in Ireland, mainly in the north of the country. Worked there 18 Combat with paramilitary groups together, such as in the 1990s with the Ulster Defense Association .

Italy

According to the Bavarian politician Susanna Tausendfreund , the German neo-Nazi Norman Bordin and other German neo-Nazis are suspected of having prepared terror attacks on migrants in South Tyrol with Italian “comrades” . Bordin, the Würzburg neo-Nazi Uwe Meenen and the Thuringian NPD cadre Frank Schwerdt and Patrick Paul are said to have discussed attacks on shops such as kebab stalls with representatives of the Skinheads Tirol group - Meran section . Ralf Wohlleben is said to have brought 20,000 euros to Italy in 2009. The recipients, Alexander and Patrick Ennemoser, are activists of the international Nazi terror network Blood and Honor - Combat 18 .

Greece

In March 2018, the Greek police arrested six alleged Combat 18 members. Those arrested are charged with membership of a criminal organization and dozens of attacks to the detriment of leftists and migrants. The alleged offenses include, in particular, arson attacks . For example, it is investigating whether the arrested are responsible for an attack on the left-wing scene meeting point “Favela” in Piraeus in February 2018. Five people were seriously injured in this. The suspects are said to have been closely connected to the openly acting formation Nonconformal Meander Nationalists ("Anentaxtoi Maiandrioi Ethnikistes" ) . According to the indictment of the Greek public prosecutor's office , the two groups even formed an organizational unit. Videos and letters confessing to the attacks were still available on the websites of the Nonconforming Meander Nationalists even after the arrests.

Russia

On Friday, November 27, 2009, at least 39 people were killed in an attack on an express train ( Nevsky Express ) near Bologoje , Russia . At least 100 others were injured. Indeed, Combat 18 confessed in a Russian blog . Russian investigators suspect Caucasian rebels to be the perpetrators.

Switzerland

The members of the Swiss branch of Combat 18 are considered to be closely networked with the German members. According to the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) , the right-wing extremist scene in Switzerland is internationally linked on two levels. On the one hand, the two international organizations Blood and Honor and Hammerskins have existed since the 1980s . Sub-organizations like Combat 18 have long been found in Switzerland, namely in the cantons of Schwyz and Wallis . Personal acquaintances form the second level of international integration in the right-wing extremist scene, as shown, for example, by the connections between Kevin G. and Thorsten Heise . According to the Tages-Anzeiger , Erika B. and André S., who are said to have good contacts in the German neo-Nazi music scene, are also important pillars of the Swiss Combat 18 offshoot . The ties of the Swiss neo-Nazis and Combat 18 members to Germany in the music scene are particularly close. The right-wing extremist scene in Switzerland is monitored by the FIS because of its propensity for violence. In Switzerland, however, it almost never happens that a violent extremist group is banned, because a ban would have to be pronounced by the Federal Council , according to the Tages-Anzeiger. The ban would also have to be based on a corresponding decision by the United Nations or the OSCE .

United Kingdom

In 1993, six handguns were found in a car of a member. Terry Blackham was arrested a year later for attempting to deliver machine guns and a rocket launcher to the Ulster Defense Association .

In 1996 letter bomb attacks were carried out against British celebrities, in which British, Danish and Swedish neo-Nazis were involved. Attempted attacks were also made on Charlie Sargent and other right-wing leaders.

In 1997, Sargent and Martin Cross, the former guitarist of the band Skrewdriver , were involved in the murder of Christopher Castle, which occurred over an internal dispute between two different Combat 18 groups. Sargent was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Combat 18 gained notoriety when members were suspected to have been involved in the three bombings by David Copeland in April 1999 in London. Three people were killed and around 160 injured, some seriously, in the attacks in areas where predominantly black, Asian immigrants or homosexuals lived. Nail bombs were used that were designed to injure as many people as possible. There were letters of assurance signed by Combat 18 . However, it was also doubted whether the attacks really came from Combat 18 or the White Wolves group , especially since some cadres were already in jail at the time and the group had been infiltrated by undercover agents. The attack was probably a template for the nail bomb attack in Cologne , which the right-wing terrorist group NSU committed in June 2004.

In 2001 members of Combat 18 took part in the racist uprisings in Oldham .

rating

Many observers were amazed at the offensive and not very conspiratorial behavior of Combat 18 Germany. The leaders are "experienced people who know the basic rules of conspiratorial behavior" and act as if nothing could happen to them. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has also consistently played down the Combat 18 structure and has no interest in breaking up the group. This leads to the conclusion that the authorities deliberately installed C18 as a “ honeypot ”, the structures of which are de facto protected, as they are penetrated by informants from the authorities. They warn of the failure of this “strategy”, as happened in a fatal manner with the National Socialist Underground (NSU) .

The ban on the German branch of Combat 18 of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of January 23, 2020 was pronounced in accordance with Article 9 paragraph 2 of the Basic Law in conjunction with Section 3 of the Association Act and published in the Federal Gazette. In the justification, the orientation against the constitutional order and the affinity to National Socialism is mentioned under the following criteria:

According to the BMI, the head of the group should come from Thuringia. On the morning of January 23, 2020, searches by 210 officials took place among leading association members in the six federal states of Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. Among other things, cell phones, laptops, data carriers, sound carriers, objects relevant to weapons law, Nazi devotional objects and propaganda material were confiscated. The ban does not only affect the club, labels, slogans and symbols and the media use of such codes have also been banned. Die Welt points out that the right-wing extremists had been warned for more than six months and had even prepared for the searches long ago, since Interior Minister Horst Seehofer was seriously considering the Interior Committee of the Bundestag shortly after the murder of Kassel District President Walter Lübcke at the end of June 2019 moved to ban Combat 18, which was spread in the media after a short time despite the intended secrecy.

The fact that the executive was only now intervening was justified as follows: “ However, the existence of these requirements for a ban on associations required a thorough factual and legal examination. “The ban also reflects the increased awareness of the organs (“ Joint Extremism and Terrorism Defense Center Right ”(GETZ-R), police authorities, the protection of the constitution of the federal and state levels, the Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD), the Federal Intelligence Service ( BND ), the Customs Criminal Police Office (ZKA) ), Federal Police (BPol), Federal Prosecutor General (GBA) and EUROPOL) against right-wing extremism, as reported in connection with the findings about the activities of the NSU, the murder of Walter Lübcke , the numerous right-wing extremist threats in 2019 allegedly by "Combat 18 "," Popular Front "or" Blood and Honor "as well as the attack on a synagogue in Halle . In general, it was also underlined that "the fight against right-wing criminal and violent acts is a core concern of the federal government."

The ban on Combat 18 Germany is the 18th ban on a right-wing extremist association by a Federal Minister of the Interior and was praised by the SPD through Lars Klingbeil and the Greens through Konstantin von Notz , but was also described as overdue. Left Party Vice President Martina Renner called the ban a “symbolic blow against the right”. Because of the popularity of Combat 18 in far-right circles, state agencies face a challenge in overseeing the ban.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hate Symbols Database - 318th Anti-Defamation League , accessed September 8, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Currently listed entities. Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, June 21, 2019, accessed September 3, 2019 . and Canada Gazette, Official Bulletin: Regulations Amending the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities: SOR / 2019-231
  3. ↑ Announcement of a ban on associations against "Combat 18 Germany" ( BAnz AT 23.01.2020 B1 )
  4. ↑ a b Federal Interior Minister forbids "Combat 18 Germany". Federal Ministry of the Interior, January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  5. ↑ BBC: BNP Under the skin: 1992 (Eng.)
  6. ↑ Behind enemy lines , independent.co.uk of February 22, 1997 (Eng.)
  7. ↑ Neo-Nazi gang was fear after murder murder. The Independent, January 25, 1998, accessed June 28, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Analysis: Czech court convicts neo-Nazis as to organized group for the first time in history. Romea.cz, February 1, 2016, accessed on June 28, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Trial of the Czech cell of Blood & Honor enters its final phase. Romea.cz, October 17, 2015, accessed on June 28, 2019 .
  10. ↑ "The right has achieved the opposite of what they wanted" , in berliner-zeitung.de on July 28, 2000
  11. ↑ Peter Müller, Andreas Speit (Taz, October 29, 2003; reprint at HaGalil): Schleswig-Holstein: Police blow up Otto dispatch
  12. ↑ The terrorist threat posed by right-wing extremists has long been underestimated , in derwesten.de on February 19, 2013
  13. ↑ a b c "Combat 18" Reunion. In: Exif. Retrieved June 25, 2019 (German).
  14. ↑ René Loch: A dubious confession. In: jungle.world. January 30, 2020, accessed February 18, 2020 .
  15. ^ Right-wing extremism: "Combat 18" is apparently active again. tagesschau.de , January 26, 2017, accessed January 26, 2017 .
  16. ↑ tagesschau.de: Right-wing terrorist group "Combat 18" apparently active again. Retrieved February 2, 2017 .
  17. ^ Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt: Raid on right-wing extremists - Seehofer bans neo-Nazi group "Combat 18". In: spiegel.de. January 20, 2020, accessed January 26, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Haldenwang: "Combat 18" ban "Signs of strength of action". General-Anzeiger, January 24, 2020, accessed on January 24, 2020 .
  19. ^ Frank Jansen: Authorities take action against neo-Nazi group. Der Tagesspiegel, January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Manuel Bewarder , Alexej Hock, Uwe Müller, Annelie Naumann: Ban on Combat 18: The right-wing extremists had long been warned. In: welt.de . January 23, 2020, accessed February 18, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Katja Bauer: "Combat 18": The ban is not a surprise and comes late. In: stuttgarter-zeitung.de. January 23, 2020, accessed February 18, 2020 .
  22. ↑ What happened to Combat 18 after the '95 Landsdowne Road riot? Newstalk.ie, May 27, 2013
  23. ^ Neo-Nazi Norman Bordin threatens MdL Susanna Tausendfreund ; ( Memento from June 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) gruene-fraktion-bayern.de, from December 6, 2012
  24. ↑ a b Aggelos Skordas: Greek Counterterrorism Police arrest six in neo-Nazi crackdown "Combat 18". Greek Citiy Times, March 7, 2018, accessed June 29, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Alexej Hock, Martin Lutz, Uwe Müller, Ibrahim Naber: The world of "Adolf Hitler's combat unit". Die Welt, June 28, 2019, accessed on June 29, 2019 .
  26. ^ Greek neo-Nazis arrested in police crackdown. Deutsche Welle, March 7, 2018, accessed on June 29, 2019 .
  27. ↑ Combat 18 excavated in Greece | apabiz. Accessed June 24, 2019 (German).
  28. ↑ tagesschau.de: At least 39 dead in train accident in Russia ( Memento from December 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on November 28, 2009)
  29. ↑ The Standard: Terror Returns (accessed November 29, 2009)
  30. ^ A b c d Kurt Pelda: The banned neo-Nazi group is also active in Switzerland. In: tagesanzeiger.ch. January 24, 2019, accessed January 26, 2020 .
  31. ^ Federal intelligence service FIS: SECURITY SWITZERLAND - 2018 situation report of the federal intelligence service. Federal Intelligence Service FIS, 2018, accessed on April 30, 2019 .
  32. ↑ Switzerland as a base | WOZ The weekly newspaper. August 9, 2018, accessed August 13, 2018 .
  33. ↑ a b c Combat 18: Memoirs of a street-fighting man , independent.co.uk of February 1, 1998 (Eng.)
  34. ↑ "We're at war and if that means more bombs, so be it ..." , guardian.co.uk of April 27, 1999 (engl.)
  35. ↑ 7 Suspected Neo Nazis Seized By Danes in Letter-Bomb Plot , nytimes.com of January 20, 1997 (Eng.)
  36. ↑ Ex-Combat 18 man speaks out news.bbc.co.uk (Engl.)
  37. ↑ Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Home Affairs: Federal Interior Minister forbids "Combat 18 Germany". In: http://www.bmi.bund.de/ . Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs, January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  38. ↑ a b c d e f Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Home Affairs: Ban on "Combat 18 Germany". In: http://www.bmi.bund.de/ . Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs, January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  39. ↑ mdr.de: Thuringia: Raid against "Combat 18" - neo-Nazi group prohibited | MDR.DE. Retrieved January 23, 2020 .
  40. ↑ Manuel Bewarder , Alexej Hock, Uwe Müller, Annelie Naumann: The right-wing extremists had prepared for searches. In: welt.de. World, January 23, 2020, accessed January 26, 2020 .
  41. ↑ Kai Biermann, Martín Steinhagen: Ministry of the Interior examines the ban on Combat 18. In: ZEIT ONINE. June 26, 2019, accessed January 26, 2020 .
  42. ^ Hamburger Abendblatt- Hamburg: Raids after threatening letters from "Combat 18" and "Blood and Honor". October 9, 2019, accessed on January 23, 2020 (German).
  43. ↑ Alexander Eydlin, Angelika Finkenwirth, dpa: Right-wing extremism: Horst Seehofer forbids Combat 18 . In: The time . January 23, 2020, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed on January 23, 2020]).
  44. ^ ZDF: Federal Ministry of the Interior: Right-wing extremist network "Combat 18" banned. ZDF, January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Rebecca Röhrich: "Combat 18" - Prohibition: New details on the key figure Stanley R. In: fr.de. Frankfurter Rundschau , January 23, 2020, accessed on January 23, 2020 .