Thomas Gerlach (neo-Nazi)

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Thomas Gerlach from Meuselwitz near Altenburg is one of the most famous neo-Nazis in Thuringia . He is a leading activist in the free comradeship scene , u. a. active in the network " Thuringian Homeland Security " (THS) and according to his own statements "group leader of a free group in the national resistance " as well as an active member in the aid organization for national political prisoners and their relatives (HNG), in the Kampfbund Deutscher Sozialisten (KDS) and in the circle of friends Halbe , who organizes the right-wing extremist "Heroes' Remembrance" at the forest cemetery in Halbe . He appears under the pseudonym ACE in numerous right-wing extremist online forums such as the “Free Resistance” or the Altermedia Nazi forum. Gerlach has a criminal record.

Political career

"Comradeship Association for Thuringian POWs"

Thomas Gerlach at a neo-Nazi rally on March 5, 2005 in Greiz, Thuringia.

Gerlach, who was still based in Hohenleuben at the time , first became known nationwide when he founded a “Comradeship Association for Thuringian POWs” in May 2002 together with the Suhl right-wing extremist Marco Zint, who was also incarcerated in the Tonna prison at the time . The abbreviation stands for "Prisoner of War", in German a prisoner of war , as in the neo-Nazi scene incarcerated like-minded people are often called. The aim of this organization, which appeared with its own information sheet under the title “In the spirit free”, was according to the Constitutional Protection Report 2003 of the Free State of Thuringia: “To contribute to the 'understanding among the imprisoned Thuringian comrades', to support the formation of an informal prisoner network, contacts between To establish like-minded people in various prisons, to inform about legal matters and to convey behavioral advice in dealing with authorities ”. From April 2003, the Comradeship Association appeared under the name "PVD (POW) - Project for Thuringian PVD", but the following year the activities stalled completely.

"National Socialists Altenburger Land"

After his stay in prison, Gerlach founded the citizens' initiative “Schöner Wohnen Altenburger Land”, which, following the example of the North German neo-Nazi associations “Schöner Wohnen” in Wolgast, Ueckermünde and Anklam, wants to appeal to a broader public. The same group of people around Gerlach also appears under the names "National Socialists East Thuringia / West Saxony" and "National Socialists Altenburger Land". It appeared for the first time at the beginning of 2005 at the so-called “ Monday demonstrations ” in Altenburg, and some of them managed to lead the demonstration marches against the cuts in welfare or to hold their own rallies.

Participation in right-wing extremist events

Gerlach continued to disseminate the declaration of a right-wing extremist demonstration that he had registered under the motto “Against warmongering and foreign administration of oppressed peoples” on May 8, 2005 in Delitzsch , West Saxony , and at which Christian Worch also appeared as a speaker. On June 11, 2005, Gerlach registered a “festival of international understanding”, which was again identical to the “Schöner Wohnen Altenburger Land” alliance, “Initiative - Freedom of Expression for Germans”, presumably as an alternative to the neo-Nazi festival, which was still forbidden at the time " Festival of the Nations " in Jena should serve. Again Worch appeared together with Axel Reitz , Michael Burkert , the Leipzig neo-Nazi Stefan Wagner and Gerlach at a demonstration in Altenburg on August 17, 2005, which was registered by the latter. Under the motto “Protect freedom of opinion - Against arbitrary police force”, a reminder of an Altenburg neo-Nazi who was shot by a police officer last year while sticking posters for Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess was to be remembered . In addition, the speakers also used the temporal proximity to the banned Rudolf Hess memorial march on August 20, 2005 to honor Rudolf Hess and to demonstrate against the " sedition paragraph " (§ 130).

Gerlach was the main organizer of the extreme right-wing 5th Thuringian National Youth Day on May 20, 2006 in Altenburg.

National and international connections to the right-wing extremist scene

Gerlach is not only active in the German neo-Nazi scene - he was one of the distributors of the right-wing extremist school newspaper "invers" by Karsten Scholz, and the distribution of the forbidden " Schulhof CD " in the Altenburg area at the beginning of August 2005 should go back to him - but maintains connections to other European countries. As a representative of the “free forces”, the KDS and the “Freundeskreis Halbe” together with Axel Reitz and the NPD cadre Peter Malborn , he attended a meeting of nationalists and self-confessed National Socialists from various European countries on November 19, 2005 in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon . When the neo-Nazi Thomas Brehl left the organizational management of the KDS at his own request at the “traditional Gau meeting” of the “Kampfbundes Deutscher Sozialisten” on February 4, 2006 in Leverkusen - Bergisch Neukirchen , Thomas Gerlach took over at his suggestion. Gerlach is also said to have illegally procured weapons for right-wing extremist Hammerskins in Portugal.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leipziger Volkszeitung, August 14, 2008, p. 13
  2. ↑ In Altenburg, Thuringia, a police officer shot a neo-Nazi while sticking Hess posters
  3. ↑ Leipziger Volkszeitung, May 22, 2006, p. 11
  4. ↑ "Neo-Nazis internationally well networked" fr-online.de of February 19, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Gerlach, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German neo-Nazi
DATE OF BIRTH 20th century