German soldiers have been removed from the protocol service after suspicion of sexual assault and collusion with the far right, a recurring phenomenon in the Bundeswehr.
Read alsoFaced with the revival of the far right, Germany is looking for a response
The company, resulting from the prestigious battalion of the guard, was "
withdrawn
" from the protocol service, which ensures in particular the reception of the heads of state, for alleged acts committed "
in a context of extreme right
", indicated to the press Friday October 8 a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense.
The case, revealed by the weekly
Der Spiegel
, concerns in particular "
rather disgusting initiation rituals and alcohol consumption
" and sexual assaults committed against the new soldiers, according to this spokesperson. A witness said in particular, according to
Der Spiegel
, that within the second company of the guard battalion, an extreme right-wing group of at least six soldiers had been formed and baptized the “
pack of wolves
”. The group's leader is said to have used racist slurs against other soldiers of foreign origin. A non-commissioned officer would have worn a T-shirt with the inscription "
Sonnenstudio 88
",the number 88 signifying in the neo-Nazi movement "
Heil Hitler
".
"Eliminate the culprits"
The alleged incidents "
deeply shame us all,
" said the spokesperson.
The Bundeswehr, the German army, will "
exhaust all legal possibilities
" to "
remove the culprits
", denounced by other soldiers.
This company belongs to the guard battalion, deployed in protocol settings or ensuring the protection of government buildings.
The membership of soldiers, including members of the special forces, to the movement of the radical far right has worried for many months the government of Angela Merkel, which has made racist and anti-Semitic terrorism to the forefront of threats.
Read alsoGermany: record for far-right crimes in 2020
A KSK special forces company was thus dissolved in 2020. Significant theft of ammunition had been observed there and several of its members had carried out the Hitler salute, illegal, during a party.
In June, a battalion stationed in Lithuania was recalled after accusations of racist and anti-Semitic behavior.
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