Sometimes the death of a person isn`t tragic. Sometimes it is ending the life of a person, who`s action should be stopped. Sometimes there is a chance, a hope, that those who take on this persons role, can`t fill it easily or completely. Some days ago Uwe Leichsen ring died in a traffic crash near Königsstein, a village in “Saxon Switzerland”, South East Germany. Uwe Leichsenring, member of the Parliament of the German state Saxony, is nazi, NPD, and one of those persons being able to establish national socialism as a normal political power, beginning on a local base and local community issues.
In elections to the local mayor he got 25 per cent support. He was leading the local NPD to the third power in Saxon Saxon Switzerland as well as into the states parliament. Of course history is not made by single persons, but loosing some one like him, can`t be sad and there is a chance now, that the structures of (Neo)-Nazism in this region is weakened.

Beside the role of establishing (neo)-nazist politiks on a local base, he integrated young militants, mainly the local SSS, an organisation with several hundreds members in different chapters and levels of hierarchie, in NPD-stuctures. The SSS, offıcially “Skinheads S”achsische Schweiz” but the similarity to the nazi elite organization SS, the organizatıon whoe mainly organized, did the mass murder, the Shoa on millions of people. She startet to train military skills and establish a so called “national befreıte zone” (literally translated: national freed zone) This meant mainly to take control over youth centers, meeting points, hegemony in the streets in evrydays cultural life. in a way a right wring reception of Gramsci. And they took this control violently.
Once I experinced the subtile forms of this control. some where talking about an attack of SSS on some so-called non-right youngsters in the next village. The victims where driven in the river. An other person was entering the scene, not apearently a right-wing scinhead, but you couldn`t estimate on which side he was. All conversation imidiatly stopped. You couldn`t risk the SSS knowing you talking about them.

I`m talking about youth culture. But I don`t want to give the impression, that the presence of neo-nazism is mainly a problem of youth. We find this situation within the last 15 years. the youngsters grew up. some maybe calmed down their hooligan style violence, but they stayed nazis. They are getting positions in the rural society, running their small businesses, sitting in the local administration, having kids and engaging in their kindergardens or schools parents’ association, singing in the local chorus. and so on. Uwe Leichenring is reprenting them and taking care of the youth. Sometimes he garantees the absence of violence to certain events and evrybody, even those who are scared by the brutality and rudeness of semiparamilitarian behavier, is happy to have someone who integrates.

I want to leace the local scene, for sure I can`t say evrything about the situation there now. Uwe Leichring is dead. How is the reaction? Most newspaper stated his death and wrote about his scandalous spech in the landtag, where he stated to want back deportation trains. That`s why he was exluded from parliament sessions for some while. But there is a seenable timidity to appriciate the death. they seem to feel obliged showing empathy reporting his role as father and husband. More: some kind of respect is shown: The president of parliament, the same one who excluded Leichsenring some time ago, was calling the influence of Leichsenring ın the parliament as legetim testing of the borders of democracy. Nobody seems to realize, that these neonazis are not just playing a game, but really try to reestablish Nazism in germany and have first sucesses.

But there is no time for wrong deference. It ıs a chance, that there is a gap in the structures of NPD and its parliamental group. They lost one of there strategıc leader. There might be a chance of disintigration inside the NPD and between the NPD and extra-parliamental nazi organisations. This has to be used and there is no reason to be shy to take advantage from it. It might be a good democratic tradition to pay respect to a political opponent. But it is important not to respect NPD as a political opponent. Their policy isn`t negotiable. So their seems to be a risk, that the death of uwe leichenring has the same effect as his life: the integration of nazism in the political system.

EDIT: İ just found the english version of an article about the NPD parliamental group`s staff. one of them, Rene Despang, will follow Leichsenring as MOP.