Far-right German politician has clothes stolen while swimming as thief yells: 'This is no swimming area for Nazis'
Alexander Gauland recently referred to the Holocaust as 'a speck of birds**t in 1,000 years of glorious German history'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A far-right German politician had his clothes stolen while swimming in a lake, with the thief reportedly shouting: “This is no swimming area for Nazis.”
Alexander Gauland, who is co-leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), was forced to walk partially-naked through the streets, accompanied by a police officer, after someone absconded with his clothes as he bathed in the waters just outside Berlin.
Potsdam police have yet to find the culprit and said they had not ruled out a “political motivation” behind the theft, according to the DPA news agency.
An image of the 77-year-old in his swimming shorts and shoes has been shared thousands of times on social media.
Mr Gauland is a controversial figure in Germany and Europe, who has said Germany needs to stop apologising for the Second World War, and should even be proud of the Nazi soldiers’ actions.
He had said: “If the French are rightly proud of their emperor and the Britons of Nelson and Churchill, we have the right to be proud of the achievements of the German soldiers in two world wars.”
He also once called for a ban on Muslims entering Germany, and referred to the Holocaust, the systematic murdering of six million people throughout Europe, as “a speck of birds**t in 1,000 years of glorious German history”.
The International Auschwitz Committee, a Holocaust survivors’ organisation, called his remarks “undignified and unbearable”.
Despite the leader’s divisive views, the AfD has steadily grown in recent years and has become Germany’s third-largest political party.
The Nazi’s rule between 1933 and 1945 is still a sensitive subject in Germany. Monuments to the millions who died as a result of extreme anti-semitism and the Second World War can be found throughout Germany and displaying a swastika is still illegal to this day.
The AfD party has seized upon a recent surge in nationalism within Germany and contested the idea that Germans should feel guilt about their country’s past to gain supporters from across the political specturm.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments