It's not often that a local politician's story threatens to overthrow an entire state government. But that is exactly what happened in Saxony-Anhalt: the case of CDU man Robert Möritz triggered a crisis in the Kenya alliance.
The 29-year-old Möritz, physiotherapist and assessor on the CDU district board of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, has a neo-Nazi past. His party colleagues have been keeping to him so far - the coalition partners in Magdeburg, SPD and Greens, however, are outraged.
How credible is Möritz's version that he has left his brown past behind - and what does such an exit from the scene normally look like? Felix Lange is an exit consultant and is familiar with such cases.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Lange, do neo-Nazis have a kind of right of return to democracy?
Lange: Everyone has the right to a second chance, especially in a democratic society. Of course, this also applies to neo-Nazis - if they really want to credibly distance themselves from inhuman ideas and change.
SPIEGEL : Does it happen more often that former neo-Nazis later become involved in democratic parties?
Lange: Not here in North Rhine-Westphalia. Most tend to withdraw and no longer appear in public. If a former neo-Nazi wants to get involved in a democratic party, it should be possible after a credible distance.
This is exactly what Robert Möritz's case is about: among other things, he admitted to being a folder on a neo-Nazi demo in 2011. He was also a member of the Uniter association for a long time, which is suspected of being right-wing extremists. According to his CDU district association, in which he is a member of the board, Möritz has left the scene.
SPIEGEL: When did a dropout from the extreme right-wing scene really get out?
Lange: The word "getting off" is a bit misleading - because it sounds a little as if it were a single step, like getting off the bus. In truth, these are very long processes that a person has to go through before an exit can be successful.
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SPIEGEL: What are the development steps?
Lange: For us, a successful exit means an internal and external departure from right-wing extremism. The inner turning back concerns one's own convictions: it is about an attitude and way of life that is compatible with the basic values of democracy and plurality. So there is really a need to rethink - it is about not devaluing other people because of a supposed group membership.
SPIEGEL: And the external turning away?
Lange: That means, for example, that you no longer walk around with extremely right clothes and avoid relevant right rock concerts.
The CDU politician Möritz attracted attention because of another external sign: he had the so-called Black Sun tattooed on his arm - an image of several swastikas on top of each other, which is popular with right-wing extremists and is a clear identifier within the scene.
SPIEGEL: What about tattoos?
Lange: Tattoos have a huge meaning in the extreme right-wing scene, because you are constantly sticking your commitment to it under your skin. Whoever gets out of course is faced with an important question: What should I do with it?
SPIEGEL: Why is that important?
Lange: We always tell our clients that right-wing extremist tattoos at the bus stop and in the supermarket immediately identify them as neo-Nazis. As a dropout, you have to decide how to deal with these remnants of your past: cover or remove. In any case, simply carrying on is not possible.
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Möritz claims that he had the "Black Sun" stabbed on his arm for apolitical reasons. He did not know the importance within the neo-Nazi scene at that time, said CDU district chair Matthias Egert: "He bears the symbol out of interest in Celtic mythology".
SPIEGEL: The CDU politician Möritz allegedly wears a "black sun" out of interest in Celtic mythology.
Lange: I do not know Mr. Möritz and cannot say anything specific about this individual case. However, the Black Sun is not a Celtic symbol at all. It may have a supposedly Germanic touch, but it is not from the time. I would ask my clients critically what exactly they mean by "Celtic mythology" and why they want to carry on such a tattoo.
SPIEGEL: Are there satisfactory answers to such questions?
Lange: Such a tattoo is fundamentally not compatible with the criteria of our work. This definitely stands in the way of credible distancing.
In a statement, Möritz described participation in the neo-Nazi demo in 2011 as a mistake. He stood on the floor of the liberal-democratic basic order and distanced himself from extremist currents of all stripes: "Please look after me this aberration of my youth."
SPIEGEL: Is there such a thing as a typical "aberration of the youth", is right-wing extremism primarily a playground for young people?
Lange: In the past, researchers actually assumed that it was primarily youth delinquency. We are now noticing that the average age of the scene is increasing. And I find terms such as "youth sin" or "stray youth" very problematic.
SPIEGEL: But there are teenagers who slip into the right-wing scene?
Lange: This wording is also difficult: If you slip , you don't act yourself. It sounds like you don't have to take responsibility for your own behavior and past. That is obviously wrong.
SPIEGEL: How do you take responsibility for something that you want to leave behind?
Lange: By dealing with it sincerely, by drawing a consistent line, by noticeably distancing yourself. This includes recognizing the neo-Nazi past as part of your own biography and not talking small.
