Book reveals neo-Nazi codes
Supporters of the right-extremist NPD party wearing skeleton outfits and carrying crosses demonstrate in Dresden, eastern Germany on February 13, 2011, where residents commemorated the 66th anniversary of the allied bombings during World War II.
Neo-Nazis reportedly circumvent Germany's tough laws against traditional Nazi symbols by creating their own codes of letter and number combinations. The symbols appear innocuous and therefore often get ignored.
A new brochure published in Germany now seeks to de-code these messages and create public awareness around them. The brochure, published by the Berlin-based anti-racism group, Agentur für Soziale Perspektiven, includes 150 different codes and symbols used by right-wing extremists, reports Der Spiegel.
German expert Michael Weiss has been researching right-wing symbols for 10 years and is one of the authors behind "Das Versteckspiel," which means "hide and seek."
The brochure's targeted audience is teachers, social workers and youth group leaders who might have seen these symbols and not understood their meaning, according to Der Spiegel. Now, they can detect the codes and do something about it.
"We want the soccer teams and the major fan clubs to be able to recognize the codes," Weiss told Spiegel.
An example of a code is the number "88." The number eight stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, "H." The double "H" stands for "Heil Hitler," Spiegel reports.
According to Weiss, right-wing extremists now use more diverse symbols than in the past.