German far-right extremists tap into green movement...

[kristopher]

German far-right extremists tap into green movement for support
Support for ecological movement and conservation used to try to recruit a new generation of supporters

Kate Connolly in Berlin guardian.co.uk, Saturday 28 April 2012 18.51 EDT

German consumers are being warned that when they buy organic produce they may be supporting the far-right movement, following the revelation that rightwing extremists in Germany have embraced the ecological movement and are using it to tap into a new generation of supporters.

Debunking the popular view that equates eco-friendliness with cuddly, left-leaning greens, rightwing extremists have even begun to publish their own conservation magazine, which is believed to have the backing of the far-right National Democratic party (NPD). Alongside gardening tips and reports on the dangers of genetically modified milk are articles riddled with rightwing ideology and racial slurs. Bavaria's domestic intelligence agency has described the magazine, Umwelt und Aktiv (Environment and Active), as a "camouflage publication" for the NPD.

"We have to get used to the fact that the term 'bio' [organic] does not automatically mean equality and human dignity," said Gudrun Heinrich of the University of Rostock, who has just published a study on the topic called Brown Ecologists, a reference to the Nazi Brownshirts and their modern-day admirers.

Hotbeds of far-right eco-warriors are to be found throughout Germany. In the Mecklenburg region in the north, they have been quietly settling in communities since the 1990s in an effort to reinvigorate the traditions of the Artaman League – a farming movement whose roots lie in the 19th century romantic ideal of "blood and soil" ruralism, which was adopted by the Nazis. Heinrich Himmler, the SS leader, was a member. "They propagate a way of living which involves humane raising of plants and animals, is both nationalistic and authoritarian, and in which there's no place for pluralism and democracy," said Heinrich, adding that the NPD is closely linked to the settlers, helping the party become "deeply rooted in these rural areas".

The settlers ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/28/germany-far-right-green-movement

[RobertEarl]

1. Just 1 correct thing of a dozen

Does not mean they are your friend.

Only a complete idiot would turn its back on Nature. And so we can surmise these nazis are not total complete idiots. And that may be the best thing ever said concerning this breed?

[kristopher]

2. This has become a generalized right wing strategy

They've been set on either co-opting or discrediting the environmental movement since the early 90s. We see it across a range of issues where they find one thread in common with progressives and exploit that in an attempt to leverage support for something that is anathema to genuine progressive values.

[GliderGuider]

3. In a similar vein, the British National Party was the first to recognize Peak Oil in about 2005. nt

[XemaSab]

4. There was a notorious hate crime here in Northern California a few years ago

Two brothers killed a gay couple in Redding and then firebombed three synagogues in Sacramento.

Where did these two brothers meet the gay couple? They were one booth over at the farmers' market.

I've also noticed in my research of Christian fundamentalism that a lot of them have a LOT in common with hippie granola types. For example, Joel Salatin is tied in with some extremist Christians. Also the Seppi family, who were in a documentary about colony collapse disorder a few years ago.

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Shouldn't really be a surprise

Three concepts you'll find you'll find in these movements are autarky (self-sufficiency on community and/or national levels), the sanctity of the homeland/motherland/fatherland (a literal nationalism - see the 1935 "Reich Nature Protection Act" for instance), and the quest for physical purity to go along with the ethnic and mental purity of a million grain-fed Übermensch.