Rally to mark anniversary of Hitler's deputy banned

Germany’s highest court today banned a far-right rally marking this week’s anniversary of the death of Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess.

The Karlsruhe-based court upheld the local authorities’ decision to ban the demonstration and rejected an emergency appeal by Juergen Rieger, a member of the right-wing NPD party who had requested permission for a rally in the southern town of Wunsiedel where Hess was buried 20 years ago.

Hess hanged himself at age 93 in Spandau Prison in then-West Berlin on August 17, 1987, after nearly 41 years as a prisoner.

Thousands of right-wing extremists marched on the anniversary of the death of Hess between 2001 and 2004, but in 2005 stricter laws were implemented and most right-wing rallies have since been banned.

A decision is still being awaited from a lower court in Leipzig regarding an appeal of the 2005 ban, and only once that is received can the decision be appealed further, the Karlsruhe court said in its ruling.