Institutionalized Racism in Europe, Dead Bodies, and the State: The NSU Trial in Germany, the Roma Killings in Hungary, and Beyond

In recent years, all over Europe, Neo-Nazis have killed and are killing migrants and other members of so-called minorities. This is also true for Germany and Hungary. Disturbing cases are coming to light in other countries such as Spain, Greece, and Austria, too. We want to discuss these incidents in light of the two trials that are currently taking place in Munich and Budapest respectively.

A German neo-Nazi group known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU) allegedly killed nine people with Turkish and one person with Greek backgrounds across Germany between 2000 and 2009; they also killed a policewoman. It was only when two of the NSU terrorists were found dead after a botched bank robbery in November 2011 that crucial evidence came to light about the NSU network. Even before the beginning of the trial in April 2013 of Beate Zschäpe and the other alleged NSU perpetrators, German police and intelligence agencies were criticized for their failure to detect the far-right motives for the killings and for not following several clues that would have led to the apprehension of group members. In the course of the trial, which is ongoing, it came to light that the police investigated based on racist assumptions – and that several secret service Offices for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz) cooperated with the neo-Nazi network.

Throughout 2008 and 2009, a series of crimes against Roma communities in small villages in rural Hungary left six dead, including a five-year old child. The trial against four neo-Nazis in 2010 not only revealed the "normality" of racism against Roma, but also clarified that investigating state representatives often sympathize with the perpetrators. It also came to light that the Military Security Service (Katonai Biztonsági Hivatal) has been involved. The appeal trial at the Capital City Appeal Court (Fővárosi Táblabíróság) has ended. The verdict, however, is not legally binding leaving open the possibility that the defendants might appeal to the Supreme Court.

Panelists include:

• Liz Fekete, London-based director of the Institute of Race Relations and head of its European research programme
• András B. Vágvölgyi, Hungarian filmmaker and journalist
• Carsten Ilius, Berlin-based lawyer who is representing a co-plaintiff at the NSU trial in Munich
• Volker Eick, Berlin-based member of the Republican Lawyers’ Association and a political scientist
• Karoly Bard (moderator), Professor and Chair of the Human Rights Program at the CEU Legal Studies Department