Guest Post: Kimberly Wilson, Right Wing Extremist David Duke Vows to Fight Deportation
David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan Wizard, Louisiana State Representative, and current right-wing activist now faces deportation from Germany, where he was arrested in Cologne hours before a scheduled lecture to a group of about 60 extremists. Vowing to fight the deportation, Duke noted on his website that he would need financial assistance from his supporters.
Although it is not completely clear on what grounds German authorities arrested Duke, officials noted that Duke is “not entitled” to stay in Germany. Duke faced troubles in 2009 in Austria, where he was arrested and expelled for denying the Holocaust, something that is a crime in many countries, most notably Germany.
In fact, according to a Nola.com article, Duke’s association with neo-Nazism earned him an exclusion order from Switzerland several years ago under what is known as the Schengen Agreement. The exclusion effectively prevents Duke from visiting other member countries who have signed the1985 open-border agreement. As such, Duke technically was not allowed to stay in Germany, although enforcement of the exclusion order has been lax, considering Duke had lived openly in Austria, a Schengen member, for several years.
Duke, however, argues that German authorities want only to silence his message, and that he was not arrested simply because of his violation of his travel ban. In a message to his supporters, Duke notes that he was “imprisoned by a gross twisting of travel laws in a blatant attempt by the government to prevent a private and peaceful gathering of about a 100 German citizens eager to hear my message of heritage and freedom.”
Regardless of whether German police arrested and expelled Duke purely because of the travel ban, or whether he was arrested in an attempt to stop his speech to his followers, it is unlikely that Duke will successfully win his bid to reverse deportation. Since World War II, Germany and many other European countries have had little tolerance for those who openly support ideas associated with the Nazi party.
Duke’s arrest and expulsion comes at a time during which German authorities must contend with a growth in visible, organized neo-Nazi groups. The BBC reports on an investigation in which ten racially-charged murders committed from 2000 to 2006 have been linked to Germany’s burgeoning neo-Nazi underground.
Duke’s whereabouts currently are uncertain. A woman who answered Duke’s Louisiana cell phone, purporting to be his assistant, noted that she knew he was no longer in Germany but did not know more information beyond that fact.
Byline: This is a guest post by Kimberly Wilson. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc.