Up to 1,500 right-wing extremists have demonstrated at a World War II military cemetery near Berlin. The demonstration coincided with the official German Remembrance Sunday, which has been adopted by some right-wing extremists as an occasion to celebrate their heroes, many of them members of the Nazi SS and the Hitler's army. Around 1,000 other protested against the extremists' gathering. Several neo-Nazi marches were held in Germany in recent weeks, and two months ago, two extreme right-wing parties managed to secure enough votes in former East German states to win seats in local parliaments. The trend has mainstream politicians worried, particularly since three separate right wing parties are planning to join forces in an effort to maximize their chances for further gains.
Meanwhile, at a ceremony at the Jewish cemetery Weißensee in Berlin, 395 fallen Jewish soldiers were officially honored for serving in the German army during World War I. 77-year-old Marion Charles for the first time visited the grave of her father, a German Jewish war veteran buried at Weißensee. During the ceremony, the president of the Berlin Jewish Community, Albert Meyer, presented a book to the chief of staff of the German military, General Schneiderhan, desrcibing the role of Jews serving in the German military.
