European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 10, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 w. Germany bans Neo nazi group police seize weapons in Home of party Leader byed Reavis staff writer the West German government moved thursday to shut Down a Neo nazi Polit ical party that was on the ballot of sever Al state and local elections scheduled for March. Federal Interior minister Friedrich Zimmermann announced the ban on the National Sam lung or National convention which is led by Neo nazi Michael Kiihne. Zimmermann ordered a search of party members apartments in the states of Hessen nor Rhein Westfa Len and Bavaria. We will not wait and allow Kiihne to build a nationwide Neo nazi Organiza Tion that can develop into a political party Zimmermann said in a statement. The ban will prevent them from participating in the Hessen elec  Heinz Reisz an is candidate in Lan Fen said eight police officers came at 10 . And searched the House confiscating our election  the associated press reported that a Cache of guns knives and ammunition was found in Kiihne s Frankfurt Home. Reisz was running on the Campaign slogan foreigners out and promised to make Langen about 20 Miles South of Frankfurt the first foreigner free Citrin West Germany. The Interior ministry based its ban on the fact that the is Calls for overthrow ing the German Constitution and tarnish ing the image of West Germany abroad. The government s action comes As West Germany faces a resurgence of right Wing extremist politics. The anti foreigner Republican party shocked the nation Jan. 29, when it garnered enough votes to enter the West Berlin City legis lature. Although rejecting suggestions that he is anti semitic Republican party Leader Franz Schoenhuber assailed the president of the West German jewish Community for is Regis Boss Michael Kuhnen cent Erthe Leader of the banned National Sam lung sits with aides Heinz Reisz left and Thomas Brehl. Wednesday at a bavarian rally that attracted More than 5,000. Reisz said the is probably will fight the ban in court but acknowledged that the party will miss out on the Hessen elections because thursday was the last Day for parties to Register for the voting. Zimmermann thought this up to keep us out of the Langen and Frankfurt elections he said. But Well come Back with another  Kuhnen a former German army offi cer cannot vote or hold Public office until 1990 As a result of a conviction for inciting racism. The is was founded in july by Kuhnen who previously founded the now banned action front National socialists National activities agitation group. The government claims the is has 170 members throughout the country. Kuhnen refuses to reveal the size of the party membership. Zimmermann said he hoped the ban proves that the government is deter mined to keep West Germany from be coming a political playground for right Wing extremists. We Hope they get the message Zim Mermann said. W. German debate erupts Over votes for foreigners Frankfurt West Germany a a debate is raging in West Germany Over proposals to Grant limited voting rights to longtime residents from Turkey Italy and other foreign countries. Hamburg took a big step toward becoming the first state to Sanction limited voting for foreigners when its parliament gave preliminary approval to a draft Law on Jan. 25. The Bill is virtually assured of final passage on feb. 15. Conservative leaders facing mounting pressure from right wingers who demand curbs on foreigners in West Germany quickly labelled the move unconstitutional and threatened to take Hamburg to court to Block the Law. Voting rights for foreigners can Only be granted on the european level not at the National level Interior minister Friedrich Zimmermann told the West Ger Man parliament last thursday. Zimmermann a member of Bavaria s conservative Christian social Union said the Constitution limits voting rights to the Community of  Chancellor Helmut Kohl s Christian democratic Union said it would Challenge Hamburg s voting legis lation in the supreme court if it becomes Law. There Are 4.6 million foreigners living in West Ger Many most of them turks. Spaniards greeks and yugoslavs. West Germany s total population is 61.3 million. West germans who favor limited voting rights note that the foreigners Are taxpayers who have no direct voice in government. People who Are affected by political decisions should be Able to take part in those decisions said Manfred Zuleeg a judge of the european court of Justice in Luxembourg. It s an expression of democracy to let them take  Zuleeg in an interview with the associated press contended that communal voting rights for foreigners do not violate the West German  although limited voting for foreigners has been Dis cussed for years Hamburg is the first of West Ger Many s 11 states to act. The City state has 1.5 million residents including 181,000 foreigners. Under the Law some 85,000 foreigners those who have been Legal residents of West Germany for eight years or More would be allowed to vote for Ham Burg s District councils but not for the legislature that governs the City. The Hamburg voting legislation comes at a critical time for West Germany s conservatives. On Jan. 29, the extreme right Wing Republican party made a Strong showing in West Berlin elections by calling for the ouster of foreigners and Asylum seek ers. The party won 7.5 percent of the vote and 11 of the 138 seats the majority of which went to the establishment parties. Many conservative politicians View the Berlin re sults As a warning that voters Are becoming increasingly impatient with the foreign presence in West Ger Many mainly because of persistent unemployment and rising welfare costs. In addition to Hamburg Strong movements Are under Way to give foreign residents limited communal voting rights in other West German states including Schleswig Holstein and nor Rhein westfalen. The Rev. Giovanni Ferro editor of the corriere d italia in Frankfurt said his newspaper frequently runs articles on voting rights for foreigners. It s a fundamental human right to be Able to vote Ferro said. But it would take a Long fight to get it in place throughout West  Ferro a roman Catholic priest says the hardest fight would come in such traditionally conservative strongholds As Bavaria and Baden Wiir Temberg in Southern Germany. Many conservatives fear that for eign workers if Given the Opportunity would vote for leftist politicians. Ferro also acknowledged that Many of the More than 500,000 italians in West Germany Aren t actively seeking the vote. There Are politically sensitive groups and Church groups very much in favor of it but there also is a Large mass where there s just not much enthusiasm says Ferro who has lived in West German for 10 years. The Radical leftist Green party and the left leaning social democratic party have been leading the Calls for communal voting rights for foreigners in West Ger Many. The association of social democratic lawyers on monday blasted West German Justice minister Hans Engelhard s declaration that voting rights for for Eigners would be unconstitutional. In a statement distributed to the news Media the group called Engelhard s opinion an irresponsible misleading of the  the voting rights debate has been featured in the mass Media. The left leaning newspaper Frankfurter Mundschau on tuesday quoted among others former supreme court judge Helmut Simon As saying the change is constitutional and politically  the conservative Bonn newspaper die Welt ran a lengthy commentary from Law professor Dieter Blu Tenwitz who argued that a constitutional change would be needed to give foreigners communal voting rights. Some politicians believe the problem can be solved by increased assimilation of the foreigners. Burkhard Hirsch a member of the centrist free democratic party proposed easing the rules on be coming a naturalized West German citizen a process that includes the automatic granting of full voting rights