English Holocaust Denier's 'Allied Bombing Terror Narrative' Lives On In German Neo-Nazis; Youth Branch Of Neo-Nazi Party Commemorates WWII Allied Bombing Of Dresden

print
January 27, 2025

In West Saxony, Germany, the youth branch of a neo-Nazi party gathered to expand the self-proclaimed "national revolutionary movement" of tomorrow.

 

As the 80th anniversary of the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II approaches, between February 13-15, 1945, the Saxon neo-Nazi party members prepared for the annually held Dresden Bombing Commemoration ceremonies to be held in the city. The Royal Air Force of Britain and the U.S. Army Air Force dropped approximately 3,900 tons of bombs and incendiary devices on the city, as part of an effort to distract the Germans from the Soviet advance on the eastern front. Civilian casualties numbered 25,000, though the German government at the time multiplied that figure by ten, and this inflated number was circulated for decades by historians, including a prominent British author and Holocaust denier. In 1966, the Holocaust denier announced that the documentation he had worked from had been forged, and that the real figure was 25,000.

 

The neo-Nazi party members demand solidarity with the victims of the bombing – which they call "bombing terror." This rhetoric is particularly prominent among German neo-Nazis and white supremacists and historic revisionists who perceive the Anglo-American air raids - particularly the bombing of Dresden - as a grave injustice. They demand justice, appropriate recognition of German suffering, and the restoration of German honor. The message annually disseminated by German neo-Nazis and white supremacists is that the memory of the ancestors who perished in the destruction of German cities, including Dresden, must never be forgotten, and justice must be served.

 

The continuous message of the resilience and heroism of those who died during the bombing is presented as a parallel to present German conflicts. The neo-Nazi party, among other right-wing voices in Germany, label the perpetrators of Dresden's destruction as the "warmongers of today," directly connecting the historical devastation during WWII to the modern military interventions by NATO and its allies. German neo-Nazis and white supremacists frequently refer to "ongoing imperialist aggression" by Western forces, led by the United States, who are said to still occupy Germany because numerous U.S. air bases are located in Germany.

 

A group of people at a tableDescription automatically generated

Members of the youth wing of the neo-Nazi party prepare banners for the upcoming Dresden commemoration, with the inscription: "Against Forgetting."

 

The flyer above reads: "Forbidden Facts."

YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@MEMRI.ORG WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE INCLUDE FULL ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS AND AN OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR REQUEST. NOTE: WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COPY ONLY TO MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA, AND TO SUBSCRIBERS; IF YOU DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST.

A Call For National Commemoration And Remembrance Of German Victims

The members of the youth branch of the neo-Nazi party prepared banners inscribed with the message: "Against Oblivion," echoing the general demand of German neo-Nazis and white supremacists to officially recognize the suffering of German victims during WWII. Their demands include a call for a nationwide Day of Remembrance, as well as the erection of a memorial dedicated solely to the victims of the Dresden bombing. They reproach authorities for what they consider the denial and neglect of Germany's wartime suffering in the national discourse. Another commonly voiced demand is an immediate end to Germany's support for U.S.-led military interventions, such as the drone strikes coming from the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein, and NATO's use of German infrastructure for military operations.

 

The national revolutionary movement seeks to mobilize youth engagement to shape a nationalist future for Germany, and to preserve and promote historic revisionist narratives surrounding the injustice inflicted against the Germans by the Allied bombardment, as well as Holocaust revisionism. Members of the youth wing form their understanding of history by listening to lectures by a British Holocaust denier and author, who is among Europe's most prominent figures disseminating revisionist views on WWII. In February 1990, in Dresden, the Holocaust denier spoke at the "Dresdner Kulturpalast," the city's cultural center. His lectures, entitled "A Brit rescues the honor of the Germans" trivialized Nazi crimes. He enjoyed great popularity in the GDR, particularly in Saxony; even today, he is believed to have influenced the debate surrounding the Allied bombing of Dresden, and also to raise awareness of the term, "bombing holocaust."

 

His works have become pivotal historical references for German neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Although historical revisionist works by German authors are dominant, their publications are mostly prohibited by the Verfassungsschutz (the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution). Distribution is possible only through neo-Nazi publishing houses and merchandise platforms.

A person in a suit and tieDescription automatically generated

British Holocaust denier lecturing in Dresden in February 1990.

The full text of this post is available to DTTM subscribers.

If you are a subscriber, log in here to read this report.

For information on the required credentials to access this material, visit the DTTM subscription page

Subscribe to DTTM

Join U.S. and other Western government agencies and law enforcement, as well as leading businesses and business organizations, in subscribing to the MEMRI Domestic Terrorism Threat Monitor (DTTM) Project, for the latest alerts, updates, and reports on imminent and potential threats from around the world.

ONLY GOVERNMENT, MEDIA, AND ACADEMIA WITH FULL CREDENTIALS CAN REQUEST ACCESS TO DTTM REPORTS.

Subscribe to DTTM

The Cyber & Jihad Lab

The Cyber & Jihad Lab monitors, tracks, translates, researches, and analyzes cyber jihad originating from the Middle East, Iran, South Asia, and North and West Africa. It innovates and experiments with possible solutions for stopping cyber jihad, advancing legislation and initiatives federally – including with Capitol Hill and attorneys-general – and on the state level, to draft and enforce measures that will serve as precedents for further action. It works with leaders in business, law enforcement, academia, and families of terror victims to craft and support efforts and solutions to combat cyber jihad, and recruits, and works with technology industry leaders to craft and support efforts and solutions.

Read More