German Normalcy

Today the court heard testimony from a neurologist treating Martin Arnold, the police officer shot in the head by the NSU, as well as from a neighbor of the NSU in the Polenzstraße in Zwickau.

The latter testimony showed again that the members of the NSU did not have to do much dissembling simply because racist and fascist attitudes were “normal” in their immediate surroundings. The witness testified that she had often eaten meals with Zschäpe, whom she knew as Lisa or Susanne Dienelt, had barbecued with her and spent evenings with her kids and Zschäpe in the yard. She too confirmed that Mundlos and Böhnhardt had withdrawn in contrast to Zschäpe, stating that she had only seen Lisa’s friend once.

She claimed that there had been no discussions on political issues and described her own political attititude as „normal“. Again it was the questioning by victims’ counsel that showed this to be untrue: Her husband’s facebook page features not only racist slogans and an anti-Turkish poem, but also a clear statement of commitment to the NSU, symbolized by the cartoon character Pink Panther, who figured prominently in the NSU video claiming responsibility for its crimes. The witness blocked all questions, but made clear that she knows of that facebook page, even has access to it herself. She agrees with the racist statements but claims that only her husband is responsible for the Pink Panther.