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Associated Press

Some 500 far-right members marched in Berlin yesterday in honour of the 30th anniversary of the death of top Nazi Rudolf Hess.
About 500 counter-demonstrators gathered nearby the ­parade in the Spandau district, separated by hundreds of heavily armoured police.

Berlin police spokesman ­Carsten Mueller said authorities had imposed a number of ­restrictions on the marchers to ensure the rally was peaceful.
Police told organisers they could march, but they were not ­allowed to glorify Hess, who died in Spandau prison.

The neo-Nazis were allowed to take banners: but only one for every 50 participants.
On a website created by a neo-Nazi group for the march, the ­organisers advised their followers to avoid the euphemism “freedom flyer”, a reference to Hess’s solo flight to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the Duke of Hamilton.

Such restrictions are common in Germany and rooted in the experience of the pre-war Weimar Republic, when opposing political groups would try to forcibly ­interrupt their rivals’ rallies, ­resulting in frequent bloody street violence.
The exact rules differ according to the circumstances, but ­police said they generally try to balance protesters’ rights to free speech and free assembly against the rights of counter-demonstrators and residents.
The rules mean that shields, helmets and batons carried by white supremacists – and some counter-protesters – in Charlottesville last weekend would not be ­allowed at German marches.
Openly anti-Semitic chants would prompt the police to intervene, although efforts would be made to detain specific individuals rather than to stop an entire rally, police said.
Left-wing groups expected about 1,000 people to attend the counter-protests.

Hess, who received a life ­sentence at the Nuremberg trials for his role in planning the second world war, died on August 17, 1987. Allied authorities ruled his death a suicide, but many Nazi sympathisers have long claimed he was killed and organise annual marches in his honour.

The marches used to take place in the Bavarian town of Wunsiedel, where Hess was ­buried until authorities removed his remains.
Additional reporting by The Guardian


German neo-Nazis rally in Berlin on anniversary of Rudolph Hess’s death

Far-right groups gather to commemorate the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, in Berlin's western district of Spandau. Photo: AP

epa06151248 A counter-protester displays a banner reading ''Nazis: kill yourself' as she attends a demonstration against a gathering of far-right organisations commemorating the 30th death anniversary Rudolf Hess in the district of Spandau in Berlin, Germany, 19 August 2017. Hess died on 17 August 1987 after committing suicide in the Spandau Prison, where he served his life sentence. Hess was one of the most prominent Nazi leaders and appointed Deputy Fuehrer by German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1933. EPA/ALEXANDER BECHER

epa06151098 Police detain a counter-protester as fellow counter-protesters block a street as they attend a demonstration against a gathering of far-right organisations commemorating the 30th death anniversary Rudolf Hess in the district of Spandau in Berlin, Germany, 19 August 2017. Hess died on 17 August 1987 after committing suicide in the Spandau Prison, where he served his life sentence. Hess was one of the most prominent Nazi leaders and appointed Deputy Fuehrer by German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1933. EPA/CLEMENS BILAN

Far-right extremists gather to commemorate the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, in Berlin's western district of Spandau, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. Police are allowing the march, but participants are not allowed to glorify Hess, who died at Spandau prison 30 years ago. A counter demonstration is also expected. (Maurizio Gambarini/dpa via AP)

Far-right activists demonstrate to commemorate the suicide of Germany's former Deputy Fuehrer Rudolph Hess 30 years ago, in Berlin, Germany August 19, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Mang

epa06151127 Police detain a counter-protester as fellow counter-protesters block a street as they attend a demonstration against a gathering of far-right organisations commemorating the 30th death anniversary Rudolf Hess in the district of Spandau in Berlin, Germany, 19 August 2017. Hess died on 17 August 1987 after committing suicide in the Spandau Prison, where he served his life sentence. Hess was one of the most prominent Nazi leaders and appointed Deputy Fuehrer by German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1933. EPA/CLEMENS BILAN

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