Wiesenthal Center Commends German Priest Under Investigation For Violating Free Speech Rights Of Far Right Group

August 18, 2006

WIESENTHAL CENTER COMMENDS GERMAN PRIEST UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR VIOLATING FREE SPEECH RIGHTS OF FAR RIGHT GROUP

Priest rang bells to drown out NPD rally in an act the Center calls, “a spontaneous act of protest that inspires freedom-loving people everywhere”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center stands ready to assist a German priest reportedly under investigation for violating the free speech rights of a neo-Nazi group.  According to Agence France Presse, a Catholic priest in the Bavarian town of Miltenberg, was so appalled by a rally by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) that he rang the bells of his church continuously to drown out the rally. The NPD demonstrators were forced to cut the rally short and subsequently filed a complaint against the priest for violating German laws that protect free speech.

“By ringing the bells of his church, this principled man of faith is sounding the alarm against racism and apathy that spurs the growth of the latter day  bigots of the NPD,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of  the Wiesenthal Center. “Instead of ‘investigating’ the priest for violating the law, fellow Germans should defend his right to self-expression and a spontaneous act of protest that inspires freedom-loving people everywhere,” Cooper concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS and the Council of Europe. For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036.