Neo-Nazis disrupt Kristallnacht memorial

Police arrested 16 people after neo-Nazis disrupted commemorations of Kristallnacht in an east German town, officials said today.

Police in Frankfurt an der Oder said the rioters tore up floral wreaths last night and threw away candles placed on a memorial stone for the city’s synagogue, which was destroyed by the Nazis.

Some shouted “Sieg Heil” as officers moved in to arrest them, police said. Those detained were between 16 and 24 years old.

On November 9, 1938 – Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass – Adolf Hitler’s Nazis attacked Jewish homes and businesses throughout Germany in a prelude to the Holocaust.

Neo-Nazis remain a fringe group in Germany, where their views repel most people.

But recent electoral successes by the far-right National Democratic party, which has won seats in two regional legislatures, have caused widespread concern and calls for more effective measures against extremism.