German politicians push for renewed ban on far-right party

The German ruling party CDU sought to renew a ban on far-right extremist party on Monday, following recent revelations of the extreme right-wing crimes ten years ago. The CDU was "appalled and dismayed by the actions of extremist terrorist cell in Zwickau," said a motion submitted by the CDU party congress. The statement referred to a 36-year-old woman, a self-confessed neo-Nazi who turned herself in after blowing up a rented flat in the city of Zwickau. In her home police found a pistol that was used in murders of nine shopkeepers of mainly Turkish origin and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2006. Led by CDU General Secretary Hermann Groehe, the party appealed to federal and state governments an overall prohibition procedure on far-right extremist party National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), as it had constituted "brutal threat to German democratic polity." "With regard to recent events and the results of further investigation, the prospects of a possible ban on the NPD process has to be taken into consideration," said their statement. Chancellor Angela Merkel told the party congress that German government would "do everything in their power" to track down those responsible. Despite the federal government's attempt to impose a ban on right-wing extremist party in 2001, the initiations failed in 2003 on legal grounds. NDP, founded in 1964, was described as the "most significant neo-Nazi party to emerge" after the Second World War. It is currently represented in two of Germany's 16 state parliaments with no seats at the federal parliament.